Caminito de La Boca: a street museum full of color
If we think about La Boca, one of the places it comes to mind is Caminito (meaning little path or little street) Located in a neighborhood also famous for being the location where soccer team Boca Jr. has its stadium, as known as La Bombonera, the Caminito can be described as a 150 meters long or 492 ft street museum of colorful houses painted with vibrant colors, typical of the immigrant dwellings that came to immortalize this little portside area at the end of the XIX and beginning of the XX century.
The Caminito followed the path of an old river stream that once glided into the Riachuelo (a kind of creek across La Boca),years later, the river dried up, and formed part of a railroad track. The railroad closed down years later, and the street we know today as Caminito was abandoned until in the 1950's a group of neighbors decided to bring the area back to life, like argentinian artist Benito Quinquela Martín (one of the most famous painters of our country known for showing in his work the life of La Boca workers and habitants) began using the houses as his canvas.
Nowadays the Caminito has become a must place to visit among tourists.
Not only you will find several restaurants offering tango and folk dances shows, but its streets are filled with artists offering paintings and handmade crafts and souvenirs.
The cute little colorful houses are made of wood and sheet metal, and these are a typical example of the "conventillos" (humble, communal housing complex, built by immigrants back in the XIX century. Many houses are built on raised foundations due to frequent floods in the past.
Address: Pedestrian St, next to Pedro de Mendoza St
Open 24/7, but we suggest visiting during daytime.
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