Barracas, Buenos Aires

Barracas is a barrio, or district, in the southeastern part of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is located between the railroad of Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano and the Riachuelo River, and the streets Regimiento de Patricios, Defensa, Caseros, Vélez Sársfield, Amancio Alcorta, Lafayette, and Lavardén. The name "Barracas" comes from the word barraca, which refers to a temporary construction of houses using rudimentary materials.

1. History

In the 18th century, "Barracas" began to grow on the banks of the Riachuelo River, becoming a slave quarter, as well as an area for leather tanneries, and abattoirs. On March 24, 1791, a bridge was built that gave the neighborhood an important strategic value during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata. In 1858, part of this bridge was destroyed by flood and was replaced by a new iron bridge in 1871. There were a series of problems with this new bridge until the inauguration of its replacement in 1931, which still stands today. Throughout most of the 19th century, the neighbourhood was home to some of the wealthiest families of the city. Santa Lucía avenue was the principal centre of activity and contained many of the city's most famous stores at the time. However, an 1871 yellow fever epidemic that swept through many southern parts of the city forced most wealthy families and the area's middle class to relocate to the north of the city, leaving the neighbourhood to become the working-class area that it remains today. A number of wealthy Argentine families retained properties in Barracas during much of the 20th century, maintaining them as rental units of varying quality. Immigrants, especially Italians, started to settle here and it became popular with the working-class. Modest cafés were opened, attracting people with a lower financial status. Factories dominated the economy of the area up until around 1980, although they continue to provide an important source of employment. The factories of Barracas began to close afterwards, and fewer train services were operated through the area. Freeway construction during the 1980s resulted in the loss of over 20 residential buildings and two public parks. The barrio set the stage for activist director Fernando Pino Solanas's 1987 film Sur (South). A chronicle of the lives of a group of friends and stockyards co-workers during Argentina's last dictatorship, Sur was as much an ode to Barracas as it was a narrative of the havoc many working-class Argentines lived through in that era. The painting of colorful façades on Calle Lanín by local artist Marino Santa María during the 1990s has helped foster a number of redevelopment projects in the area, notably the conversion of the former Piccaluga textile factory into upscale lofts, which was completed in 2008.

1. Design District

Inside one of the sector of the neighborhood there is a 'Design District', an initiative tending to create a design and manufacture center. This effort is intended to help the south part of the city and to consolidate Buenos Aires as a UNESCO city of design, the project is based on easy credit and possibilities for those entrepreneurs who are willing to move their offices and manufacturing plants to this center, that is between the avenues Pedro de Mendoza, Velez Sarfield and the streets Australia, Brandsen and Herrera. Between the strategies for this center there are preferred loans, tax exceptions, marketing strategies and subsidies to repair real state that is too old.

1. Art

The "Sistine Chapel of Football" is an artwork exhibited at the Sportivo Pereyra club in Barracas. It honors two of the greatest stars in the history of Argentine football: Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi along with other leading figures such as Juan Román Riquelme, Gabriel Batistuta, Mario Kempes, Sergio Agüero, Claudio Caniggia, Ricardo Bochini and Ariel Ortega. It is inspired by Michelangelo's classic fresco The Creation of Adam found in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel in Rome. It was created in 2014 by the Argentine graphic designer and artist Santiago Barbeito (a.k.a. Santuke) but it was not until May 2018 that it became globally popular thanks to the viralization of a video filmed by an amateur who uploaded it to social networks.

1. Gallery


1. Notable houses

Casa de Esteban de Luca

1. References

(in English) Barracas Barrio Guide and Map (in Spanish) Barrios Porteños

Nearby Places View Menu

Bosch Bridge

The Bosch Bridge is a bascule bridge in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that connects the Algarrobo street in Barracas neighborhood with the Barrio Piñeyro of Avellaneda Partido, crossing over Matanza River (popularly known as Riachuelo). The bridge carries vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic between both points. The bridge extends parallel to the General Roca Railway rail tracks between Hipólito Yrigoyen and Darío Santillán y Maximiliano Kosteki stations. Its structure is made of iron and was inaugurated on July 30, 1908. On July 12, 1930, at 6:05 am, an electric tram going to Lanús fell into the Riachuelo river after the driver ran straight without seeing the red light warning about the leaf raised due to the thick fog. 56 of a total of 60 passengers died, most of them working class people going to their jobs. The tramway accident was mentioned on Sherlock Time, a comic strip by writer Héctor Oesterheld and artist Alberto Breccia published in Hora Cero magazine. In the story, a group of relatives of the victims joined to recreate the accident and then sue the tram company. Nevertheless, Sherlock Time rescued them alive after realising it was a trap from a group of aliens to capture them. In 2001 the Bosch Bridge was closed because of its deterioration. The bridge was then refurbished by the Public Works Ministry of the City of Buenos Aires, which took charge of its maintenance. The bridge was re-opened to the public in June 2008, with height and weight restrictions for the vehicles (4.10 m and 12 tons respectively). Works had a cost of A$ 3,2 million. In September 2015 there was a proposal to adapt the Bosch Bridge for pedestrian use exclusively. The project was named "Puente de las Mariposas" ("Butterflies Bridge"), connecting the Design Metropolitan Center of Barracas with the Faculty of Environmental Sciences of Avellaneda.

Bridge Landmark

Buenos Aires Belgrano Sur Line railway station

Buenos Aires (Spanish: Estación Buenos Aires) is a former passenger railway station in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The station was terminus of the Belgrano Sur line that runs trains along Greater Buenos Aires region. The station is located a short distance north of the Riachuelo River, on the boundaries between the barrios of Parque Patricios and Barracas, two outlying neighbourhoods in the southern part of the city.

Landmark Train

Pueyrredón Bridge

The Pueyrredón Bridge (officially called Prilidiano Pueyrredón Bridge) is a bascule bridge in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It connects Vieytes street of Barracas neighborhood with Bartolomé Mitre Avenue in Avellaneda Partido, crossing over Matanza River (popularly known as Riachuelo). The bridge carries vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic between both points. It was named after painter and architect Prilidiano Pueyrredón, one of the country's first prominent artists.

Bridge Landmark

New Pueyrredón Bridge

The New Pueyrredón Bridge, officially New Prilidiano Pueyrredón Bridge, is a bridge in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that connects President Arturo Frondizi Highway (AU9, formerly 9 de Julio Sur Highway) in Barracas neighborhood with Bartolomé Mitre and Hipólito Yrigoyen avenues, both in Avellaneda Partido. The bridge crosses over Matanza River (popularly known as Riachuelo), carrying vehicular and pedestrian traffic between both points. The structure is made of reinforced concrete.

Bridge Landmark