Welcome to Buenos Aires or more specifically for this Buenos Aires tours update, welcome to San Telmo, Buenos Aires’ special barrio, loved by locals and visitors alike.
For those of you who read our blog and do not know me, I am Sebastian Airaldi, Experience Director at Buenos Aires Experience. I spend my time designing tours of Buenos Aires for travelers who demand a little more from the city and their guides.
Today, we continue our walking tours of Buenos Aires boroughs. That reminds me, the other day I bumped into a colleague and his tour group in San Telmo. He was puzzled that I post directional walking tours to my blog.
I understand that there are three categories of voyagers: Primarily there are the masses that have to save hard and stretch every penny to enjoy their vacation – my information is mainly for those ‘budget travelers’ who cannot afford my tours – ENJOY! Then we have the ‘intrepids’ who can afford the comfort and joy of a local guide but they want to go it alone – ENJOY! Last but certainly not least, we have those travelers who desire the luxury of a guided five star Buenos Aires tour.
At Buenos Aires Experience, we want to play our part in ensuring that all travelers love our great city so they can go back home and tell their friends the Buenos Aires Experience they are missing.
SAN TELMO “A true bohemia “
San Telmo was once home to the aristocratic elite. That all changed in the 1870´s when the yellow fever plagued the densely populated southern area of Buenos Aires sending the upper classes and those who could afford it north to Recoleta, Palermo and Belgrano.
San Telmo Buenos Aires was also close to La Boca where hundreds of thousands of poor immigrants would arrive. These poor immigrants quickly moved north into San Telmo moving into the abandoned mansions.
Groups and families shared one room of many amazing Petit Hotels. The once wealthy and palatial homes of single families became a refuge for ten or more families, and thus the infamous “conventillos” were born on the streets of San Telmo.
San Telmo is the “tangueros “ barrio of choice because of its “Milongas”(Dances). I am a tanguero myself and have been taking lessons for fifteen years. This wonderful dance form is a never-ending learning process and like Golf you are never fully satisfied.
More recently, an influx of tourist and the development of Puerto Madero have helped revitalize and gentrify San Telmo, it is not finished yet and my hope is that San Telmo retains its character and does not lose its wonderful antique buildings.
The area has attracted white-collar workers and developers. A number of rundown houses underwent development into lofts, hostels, galleries and cafés, giving SanTelmo a new lease of life. Fortunately, San Telmo has worn down beauty, the signposts of yesteryear are still evident, and we must fight to preserve this open-air museum in the same way as Caminito (La Boca) sort protection in the 1950s.
Walking tour
The Spanish Laws of the Indies established clear patterns for the cities of the colonies. Always a centre, then rectangular blocks of roughly the same size spanned out uniformly from that central point. Here in Buenos Aires we love to break the rules, it is part of our culture. Look at Balcarce Street for example, do you find uniformity – not at all. We Porteños consider rules flexible friends in every sense. You might have already noticed, just watch us driving, queuing, or crossing the street – anarchy!
On our walking tours of Buenos Aires, rather than bitch the bits of our psyche that make us so wonderfully disobedient we like to try to find some positivity and celebrate our cultural nuances
We start our San Telmo Walking Tour at PARQUE LEZAMA
Designed by the great Charles Thays and said to be the site of Pedro de Mendoza’s founding of Buenos Aires (unsuccessful and round two of the Spanish conquest) in 1536, PARQUE LEZAMA is today home to the Museo Historico Nacional (National History Museum).
This park has a real local feel that often makes visitors think that it is dangerous. On any afternoon you find neighbors sharing a mate and “torta frita” (local homemade fried dough). PARQUE LEZAMA is hilly, with many exotic trees and old folks playing “truco” (local card game involving lots of bluffing).
Across the park you can marvel the ‘Onion Domes’ of the Iglesia Ortodoxa Rusa (Russian orthodox church circa 1904 )built with Russian immigrants it has amazing stained glass windows designed by Alejandro Chistopherson.
Walk north along Defensa Street to San Telmo´s nerve center, PLAZA DORREGO .During the week the square is full of tables with people downing beers in the midst of a scene reminiscent of Hitchcock “The Birds” – Pigeons diving in for the kill, your peanuts and chips at risk if you lose your concentration for just one moment.
If antiques are your thing, you are in for a real treat as the whole area awakens at the weekend and the tables and a vibrant flea market that stretches its way down Defensa to Plaza de Mayo replaces chairs. You will love the antique market at the weekend.
Do you know that between 1880 and 1940 we Argentines were rich with the fifth largest economy in the world, we were big buyers of European luxuries and we loved the Art Nuevo and Art Deco periods, just take a look at the wonderful collections in the shops, we especially liked French furniture.
During World War I, Parisians were struggling to survive whereas the porteños were worrying about what new Bauhaus davenport to buy.
San Telmo’s streets become open theaters where you can find all sorts of performers and tango dancers. Also interesting, is the Museo Penitenciario Nacional (National Penitentiary Museum circa 1750) Once a convent, it was home to the general Rosas torturers and then became a woman`s jail.
Walk down Defensa for a block and a half and enter the wonderful Mercado San Telmo, where you can buy a “colita de cuadril” (rump´s tail) a collection comics, or papayas and flour, or antique siphons and silk flowers. I love the fact that Buenos Aires is largely ‘disorderly’ and without areas for particular goods and purchases, but San Telmo an area for Antiques and local arts and craft.
If you want to buy antiques, book our expert guide to help you buy. In addition, if you are making major purchases do not come high season.
Stay on Defensa to Pasaje san Lorenzo 380, La Casa Minima (The smallest house). This is the narrowest chorizo (sausage) house in Buenos Aires.
Next, for a look at one of the best sculptures in town, carry on up Defensa and turn east onto passage Giuffra to Plaza Coronel Olazabal, where you find Rogelio Yrurtias´s Canto al Trabajo (ode to labor), and a tribute to all the hardworking immigrants.
Just across the street is the neoclassic Facultad de Ingenieria (university of engineering) once the home Fundacion Eva Peron, set up by Evita to assist the needy and to further the Peron’s political aspirations.
Cross the street to Azopardo and Avenida Independencia where you will find the infamous Confederacion General de Trabajadores (General Labor Federation), the main labor union that is and always has been a hotbed of Peronist politicking and to this day, it exhibits a portrait of Evita on the wall outside of its headquarters.
We are not a lucky people when it comes to politics, I often wonder if the masses support of Peronism, which has hardly been our ‘salvation’, is because we are still recovering from totalitarian regimes of the late 70s and early 80s and because of the lackluster myriad of second-rate and inept leaders we elect.
We need a true leader, an honest political leader and a true reformer to chase away the ghost of Peron chatter from our kitchen tables. Peron chatter, always ‘rose colored’ ignoring the disasters that started during his presidencies and rumbled on for many years after he had gone. This chatter ‘infects’ each new generation.
On Carlos Calvo 257, you stumble on a Scandinavian like church called Dansk Kirke (Danidh Lutheran Church circa 1931) built by Ronnow and Bisgaard. Five streets from there in Azopardo 1428, is the Svenska Kirkan (Swedish Lutheran Church circa 1944) Just another evidence of Buenos Aires´ wonderfully open culture that welcomes all religions and creeds.
Turn right on to Chile, where you might just spot “MAFALDA” (world-renowned comic character who resides in San Telmo). Then turn Left on Balcarce Street to Avenida Belgrano where just a block to your left is the Basilica de Santo Domingo circa 1758. If you observe the left bell tower, you will notice the small cannon balls encrusted fascia.
Souvenirs of the second British Invasion of 1807, the occupying army took control of the site. Inside you will find the flags that were captured when our peoples and the local militia grouped to run the British invaders out of town – hand-to-hand combat, men women and children firing small arms and scalding liquids from the roof tops – armies were no more prepared for guerrilla warfare in an urban setting than they are today!
Those damn British never give up! Just a few years later, they are back as a ‘friend’ of Spain in Europe whilst using their money to support our independence and ‘invade’ us again as investors.
Make your way back down Defensa to the smaller obelisk of Plaza de Mayo.
Hope you enjoy this San Telmo Buenos Aires tour, which takes of about 2 to 3 hours.
For lunch, look at this restaurant guide
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