Buenos Aires History: La Boca

Ask any football fanatic to name a South American football team and the chances are that the Boca Juniors will be one of the first to spring to their minds. Similarly, ask any visitor to Buenos Aires what they plan on doing during their stay, and most will have a visit to La Boca on their list.

La Boca is situated at the mouth of the river Riachuelo(hence its name, la boca = mouth in English) and was originally an area consisting solely of shipyards and houses to accommodate the workers. Many of these settlers were immigrants from Bolivia, Peru and Paraguay as well as places further afield including the Italian port of Genoa.
 

La Boca’s history is a fascinating one. At the end of the 19th century, the neighbourhood’s cultural, political and social scene exploded when theatres began popping up all over the barrio and talented artists, including Benito Quinquelo Martin, began to capture the vitality of La Boca in their work.
 

In the 1880s La Boca briefly seceded from Argentina when its residents, tired of low wages and poor living conditions, announced that the area was to become ‘The Independent Republic of La Boca.’ Although their independence was a short-lived affair, the neighbourhood remained a hotbed of political debate. In 1904, Alfred Palacios was elected by the Boca people to the Argentine Congress, and in doing so, became the first socialist representative in the whole of South America. His fruitful career eventually spanned 61 years, during which he made enormous progress in laws regarding sexual exploitation, women and children.

Today La Boca is still home to many immigrants who now occupy the iconic colourful houses, largely constructed of corrugated iron, sheet metal and planks; a testament to the days when they used to house the city’s shipbuilders. Wandering around the area is a fantastic experience in itself and certainly a worthwhile activity. Be prepared to be goaded into joining a tango dancer in a street corte!

Any trip to La Boca would not be nearly as complete without a trip to the home team’s stadium ‘La Bombonera’ (meaning chocolate box because of its unusual shape). Watching a game here is exhilarating, especially if it happens to be against the Boca’s arch rivals River Plate.

With tempting restaurants, a rich history and fantastic architecture, La Boca is not to be missed!