Walking tour of La Boca district

We got off the bus at stop 6 as we had booked an 11am walking tour of La Boca.  We were 30 minutes early, so we had a wander and I bought a throwaway plastic mac for US$6 as it was raining heavily and, of course, I had lost my waterproof jacket!

At the appointed time, we met our guide, Vito, and started our tour.  He had grown up in La Boca and was passionate about the area.  He was full of interesting stories about the history, the people, and the culture of the district.

La Boca is a working-class area with a cluster of attractions near the Riachuelo River.  Steakhouses and street artists surround Caminito, a narrow alley flanked by brightly painted zinc shacks that evoke the district’s early immigrant days.  A cauldron of noise on match days, La Bombonera is the home ground of Boca Juniors soccer team.  The modern art museum Fundación Proa has temporary exhibits and views of the old docks.

La Boca is where the city of Buenos Aires was founded in 1536.  At first, it was an affluent area inhabited by wealthy merchants and titled gentry who settled and built their mansions here.  Later, they moved to the north of the city and La Boca became a poor district of economic migrants arriving mainly from Italy, Eastern Europe, Ireland, and North America to seek their fortunes.Read more