Home»CLICK ON THE EARTH»Travel»Places»South America»Argentina»Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires had its beginnings back in the 1500’s when the Spanish tried 3 separate times to establish a settlement in the area of the Rio de la Plata – an area that had been the ancestral home of the Querendi nomadic tribes for 1000’s of years. By the early 1600’s they were trading for silver and slaves and the area eventually became the capital of the vice-royalty in the eastern part of South America.

In 1810, the local government began the exercise of seeking autonomy and within 6 years became totally independent from Spain. As time passed, immigration from Europe increased, the population and city grew, and by the late 1800’s Buenos Aires had become the capital of Argentina. In the mid 1900’s Juan Peron and his wife Eva became a political force espousing a position midway between Communism and Capitalism. There were a number of subsequent military coups and failed regimes that came and went and the country finally returned to democracy in 1983.

The liberalized policies of the 1990’s spurred on prosperity and despite recent rough times, Buenos Aires is still one of the top tourist destinations in the world.
Buenos Aires is often referred to as the “Paris of South America” and justifiably so. It is a city that never sleeps and there are always many activities that visitors to the area can take part in.
Avenida de Mayo runs through the central district of B.A. and is reputed to be one of the widest avenues in the world. There is the Recoleta cemetery (Eva Peron is buried here) that even the locals visit frequently.
La Boca is on the south side of the city and was originally part of the port district. So the story goes, ships stopped to refit here and the leftover paint was used by the locals to decorate their homes (the people were poor and the paint expensive to buy) … which is why the houses in the area are so modest but quite colorful.
The San Telmo market is worthy of a visit just on its own. Great antiques for every taste and the prices are exceedingly good. There are a number of other markets that come and go through out the various districts of the city and all make for a great experience in people watching.

And last but not least, shopping on Avenida Florida or eating in one of the local restaurants has to be a couple of the more rewarding of the activities you can indulge in while in town.
If you add into the mix the parks and museums in the city and the ranches and “fincas” outside the city that you can visit for the day, there are no end of things to do.

Going further afield, a visit to the wine district of Mendoza (near the west side of Argentina and the Andes mountains, or to Iguazu Falls in the northeast (by the Brazilian border) are both well worth the effort of seeing.

As you may have guessed, Buenos Aires is one of my favorite cities. I’ve been going there off and on for over 30 years and have seen both the good times and the bad. As of our last visit (spring 2009) Argentina (and B.A.) is enjoying a period of good times and prosperity. The people are genuinely kind and friendly, the climate inviting and the political atmosphere stable.

Local currency is the Argentinian peso. ATMs abound and shops will accept all major credit cards or currencies (Euro’s, Sterling, U.S. dollars – but peso’s are preferred). Bargaining in the markets is expected but not in shops or restaurants. The yellow & black metered taxis are the best way of getting around town (unregulated taxis over-charge), as is the Subte (metro), which is clean, easy to use and inexpensive.