Argentina – Buenos Aires city tour & Tango Show

El Zanjon Granados is a mansion dating from 1830, originally built by a wealthy family in the San Telmo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. During a renovation of the mansion and some surrounding buildings, an ancient zanjón (ravine) was found running under the whole block. The tunnels that were used to channel water from the stream were sealed during the yellow fever outbreaks in 1871.

Called a Chorizo House style as it is skinny with a series of connecting rooms like sausage links. Brick was very very expensive so we know this was the house of a very rich family.

Below ground foundation built on older brick homes.

Main cistern for house water. Quite a luxury and was locked when not in use to prevent theft from the neighbours!

The family kept turtles in the cistern to eat the bugs and algae.

Tunnel where the stream was covered over and built on.

The Plaza de Mayo is one of the oldest city squares in Buenos Aires.

The Casa Rosada is the presidential palace built in the late 19^th C. The Argentine president works here but lives elsewhere. Domingo Sarmiento painted the building pink as a symbol of unification between two warring political factions – the Federales colour was red and the Unitarians colour was white. Local legend says the original paint was whitewash mixed with bull’s blood. The balcony facing the plaza is the presidential podium where Evita Perón made her speeches to rally the working class.

Puente de la Mujer (the Bridge of Women) is a pedestrian suspension bridge across the Rio Darsena Sur connecting the Centro with the waterfront Puerto Madero area. The white section of the bridge is meant to abstractly represent a couple dancing the Tango. Most of the streets in the surrounding neighborhood are named after women.

Old sailing navy ship – Frigate Sarmiento

The Puerto Madero area is the old port of Buenos Aires. It is mostly made up of reclaimed land from the river delta. City planners have left the old cranes as ‘decoration’. The area reminds us a lot of Yaletown.

Dinner tonight was at Siga La Vaca, an Argentinian parilla buffet. We left stuffed.

The neighbourhood of San Telmo is defined by the tango, the dance that made Buenos Aires world-famous. Tango was born among the immigrants of Buenos Aires who lived closely together in tenement houses with the poor citizens. The word tango likely means ‘dance’ in a West African language.

El Viejo Almacen has been the home of traditional tango shows since 1969. The show was awesome and very entertaining.