Latin America Your Way: Buenos Aires

The Heartbeat Of South America

Buenos Aires is the most European of all Latin American cities. With its wide boulevards, leafy parks, grand buildings and varied culture and nightlife, the city is reminiscent of Paris or Barcelona. The Porteños ('people of the port'), as the residents of Buenos Aires are called, are more European too - descended from the first Spanish founders and Italian immigrants from the 19th century. Their culture and cuisine still flavor the city and can be enjoyed in countless art galleries, theatres and museums, as well as fine restaurants. But the city has also spawned its own art forms, notably the tango, for which Buenos Aires is famous. It is the third largest city in South America and comprises 47 barrios (neighbourhoods) in which nearly 3 million people live.

San Telmo is the oldest district in Buenos Aires and perhaps the most atmospheric too. Once the home of the elite and affluent, an epidemic of yellow fever caused the wealthy to abandon the area in 1823. It is the birthplace of the tango and every Sunday the quiet, cobble stoned streets are closed to traffic and the outdoor antiques fair begins. The heart of Buenos Aires beats strongest in San Telmo!

Street performers (buskers) compete for your attention and people are selling everything from old seltzer bottles to new (I hope) bras. Known for its bohemian charm, San Telmo is the neighbourhood of arts, antiques, tango, and timelessness.

The tree lined main plaza, Plaza Dorrego, a peaceful place for sipping a beverage and feeding the pigeons on a week day, is transformed on Sundays into a lively market that spills out onto the surrounding streets.

Table after table after table of riding stirrups, gramophones, lamps, and jewelry, to name but a very few things, can be found on a Sunday in San Telmo.

There's an almost tangible feeling of excitement and expectation in the air. The real thrill of a Sunday visit here is strolling around listening to the musicians and watching the street entertainers. When I glanced over my balcony the first Sunday morning I was there and watched a piano being carried down the street, I knew it was going to be a day to remember. The pulsing rhythm of San Telmo was just warming up.

Street vendors serve up their specialty treats. Some being made right on the spot!

Clowns and Marionettes...
Let the carnival begin!

At dusk the drummers come out!

All sorts of various live entertainment abounds...for a peso or two!

I found the piano!

The piano belonged to an orchestra by the name of El Afronte who played tango style music. Those accordion players were actually quite lively performers.

Superb entertainment for just a drop of a coin in the open guitar case or upturned hat.

And just when you think you've seen it all, someone just throws down a board on the street, grabs a partner, and commences to dance the tango right then and there!