La Boca

If there is a quintessential Buenos Aires neighborhood, that is La Boca. It was the port of Buenos Aires in those years of greatness, when Argentina opened to the world to receive those who wanted to progress, so in its streets there is plenty of history and character.

@tuguiaenba invites you to take a walk to explore the traditional neighborhood, to discover murals both by well-known artists and those painted by the neighbors themselves with their own social message.

In addition to the rich artistic history of La Boca, the suburb also has a rich immigrant tradition. Thus, La Boca's Volunteer Fire Department, at Brandsen 567, was the first in the country and it was created precisely because of the neighborhood union to face the fires that occurred due to the precariousness of the materials. It is there when Paula shows you an old and unique record that proves that these tin booths were even transported on ships arriving at the port. In front of the station, Martín Ron's work made with mosaics with the photos of the neighbors make up the profile of a fireman; twin photomural of Felicitas Guerrero's in Barracas.

registro que evidencia que esas casillas de chapa eran incluso transportadas en los barcos que arribaban al puerto. Frente a la estación, la obra de Martín Ron hecha con mosaicos con las fotos de los vecinos conforman el perfil de un bombero; fotomural mellizo del de Felicitas Guerrero en Barracas.

In fact, the silhouette of the neighborhood is formed by the work of such picturesque little houses, which made up in bright colors -at the initiative of the great Benito Quinquela Martín- gave birth to today's famous Caminito. This is the most famous alley in the city, which emerged in the fifties and is a must for anyone visiting Buenos Aires for the first time; a successful venture aimed at beautifying and revitalizing the urban area.

Nearby, the itinerary includes an invitation to visit a typical tenement converted into an atelier by a couple of artists who live there. It is the Marjan Grum Cultural Center.

Just around the corner from Caminito is a contemporary art center that offers temporary exhibitions, Fundación Proa. Although the display was not attractive, we tried to visit the terrace, where there is a cafeteria with a beautiful view of the whole area... but the unwillingness and discourtesy of the staff prevented us from making this visit. Perhaps fate wants us to return to La Boca! In the meantime, lunch took place at the glorious pizzeria El Cuartito, in downtown Buenos Aires. Those treats that save a bad moment.

Of course, during the walk through the neighborhood it is impossible to avoid a visit to the renowned Bombonera, the Boca Juniors stadium, which still preserves murals painted by Pérez Celis and Rómulo Macció, two greats of Argentine arts.

Both the beginning and the end take place on the banks of the Riachuelo with the 1914 ferry bridge in the background. A gigantic iron structure that shortly after its inauguration became obsolete due to the arrival of the automobile, since the hanging ferry had been conceived for the transport of pedestrians or cars. Nevertheless, its fortune would turn it into the emblematic monument of the neighborhood and even of Buenos Aires.