"Caminito"... An Open-Air Museum. La Boca, Buenos Aires.
"Caminito"... An Open-Air Museum.
La Boca is probably the neighborhood where you can best feel the essence of Buenos Aires, a very colorful place where you can appreciate art, painting, traditional cuisine, tango, and fanaticism for sports, you know... soccer. But let's go back a little and mention some relevant facts that are necessary to know. The neighborhood is located at the mouth of the Río de la Plata, hence its name. It is known for being formed by Italian immigrants who arrived in the 19th century and worked in the port and factories. It is recognized as the working-class neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
Caminito, on the other hand, is the tourist area of the neighborhood, which covers a few blocks. It's a very European-style place with cobblestone streets, colorful houses, and statues of comic book characters such as Mafalda and others on every corner. It is a very safe place during the day for tourists, but when you leave Caminito and enter other areas of the neighborhood at night, the situation is complicated. There are many contrasts, and it is no longer as safe, so it is not recommended to stay there.
End of one of the streets with an exhibition of paintings and drawings. You can see the side of one of the tenements and some of the colors that characterize these houses.
The origin of “Caminito” dates back to the 1950s and was created by the painter Benito Quinquela Martín together with neighbors. At that time, it only covered a few meters of abandoned railroad tracks. This artist is probably the greatest and most renowned in the neighborhood for this and for his neo-impressionist style paintings. He also donated money and land for the creation of theaters, schools, and hospitals.
But... where did the idea for the different colors of the houses come from?
The answer to this is based on a legend that says that the inhabitants at that time painted their tin houses with leftover paint from the port. They couldn't always find the same color, so they used what they had, and that's how the explosion of colors that characterizes what we know today as “Caminito” came about.
View from above of one of the area's tenements. You'll always find plenty of signs with wonderful, artistic phrases like this one...
"Sliding the brush across the canvas is a caress for the soul."
One of the popular corners with a store selling products related to the Boca Juniors football team.
On the sidewalk you can see several figures such as "Maradona" and "Mafalda", At the top of the house there is another figure that I don't know, but it is surely also someone important for the neighborhood and the country.
Building with a beautiful architectural design, well preserved and obviously with characteristic colors.
Notable bar La Perla, which has a sign that says it has been operating since 1882.
This is a photo that goes more for the photographic field and perspective. You can see the balconies of this small building and a cut-out part of a painting.
I think even the balconies have those particular colors.
According to available information, La Boca is the neighborhood where tango originated, so you can also find couples dancing to this music in special areas, street dancers, and others who are part of a business. You can also see live bands playing Argentine rock or perhaps some international covers. It is full of artists exhibiting their paintings for sale, musicians playing the accordion in the tenements, and the smell of barbecue in every corner.
In the following photo, you can see the place most visited by tourists, which is like the entrance to Caminito. Many people line up to take photos there, and you also have Messi raising the World Cup on the balcony :)
You can see the number of people gathered right there in that area. I think there was also a tango dancer posing with the tourists.
In this photo you can see one of the premises where there is a coffee bar on the ground floor, people sitting enjoying food or drinks on the first floor and on the top floor statues, figures on the balcony.
It may be scary at first glance 😆
Those who know soccer know that Boca Juniors was founded in this neighborhood, and I suppose that's why the team is named after it, as is River Plate, although it later moved to the Nuñez neighborhood. La Boca is home to the famous and iconic La Bombonera stadium, where iconic matches are played and the fans' enthusiasm is beyond imagination.
Another curious fact is that there are two figures on almost every corner of Caminito, the gods of Argentine football. I don't need to mention who they are, you already know them 😉
These signs are specially designed for Caminito and the aesthetics of the neighborhood.
Bar La Perla, Transporter Bridge, PROA Foundation, Boca Juniors Stadium and Museum.
It's always nice to walk around and get to know tourist attractions and places with the purest cultural, historical, and gastronomic essence. It had been a long time since I had visited Caminito, and although I wrote a post about it more than two years ago, I thought it was time to update it with new photos and information that I'm sure I didn't share before.
One of the most enriching aspects of sharing these articles is that, apart from visiting and getting to know the places, you have to read to learn more details, dates, and relevant events. So you learn and have the experience of having been there.
Did you know Caminito and La Boca neighborhood? If you come to Buenos Aires, this is one of the places you must visit and I totally recommend it.
I hope you enjoyed this article, the information, and the photos. Have a nice day :)
That's all folks! Thanks for stopping by and appreciating.
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wow so beautiful the buildings with so many vibrant colours!
Caminito looks like a wonderful place. It made me happy to see so many colorful buildings, tango music and street art. Seeing your photo, I felt as if I was roaming there myself.
Vaya amigo, de los lugares más lindos y coloridos que he visto. Cómo me gustaría visitar estos lugares, porque se ve que son una gran experiencia.
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Hola Dimas. Gracias por publicar en la comunidad Worldmappin. Por acá te saluda @lauramica. Que hermoso que hayas visitado Caminito, yo también lo visité hace poco y es muy lindo, tiene una re buena energía. Es una idea genial para un lindo paseo. Gracias por acercarnos tus fotos!
Gracias por compartir este lugar con nosotros y agregar este pin al mapa.
Para pasar a saludar o consultar alguna duda, te invito a nuestro canal de Discord en español.
¡Saludos! Que tengas buen día ❣️.
I liked Caminito but didn't loved it. I liked the colors and those few blocks, the place gave me Valparaiso vibes but Valpo (as chileans call it) is bigger and it's located in front of the ocean. Food in Caminito was great, but a little expensive comparing other neighborhoods and I agree on the security issue. But, I also think this is a must if you visit Buenos Aires, you gotta go to La Boca and Caminito for sure.
Thanks for sharing, great pics!