Study Visits | Visitas Guiadas

About Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is Argentina’s a bustling capital city. A dynamic mix of old and new, the city spreads out in blocks and wide tree lined avenues from the main port on the Rio de la Plata. Home to just under 3 million people, local residents are often referred to as Porteños (port people), a term which is fondly nostalgic towards the thousands of immigrants that made their way across the Atlantic in the search of a better life. Indeed, many Porteños can trace their family history back to the records at the Immigrants Hotel which, from 1911, housed, fed and clothed thousands newcomers as they disembarked from the boats to their new lives in Argentina.

From Spanish colonisation in the early 16^th century, to state sponsored immigration in the 20^th century, the landscape of Buenos Aires grew from a melting pot of European and Latin American cultures. The Immigration and Colonization act of 1876 was the catalyst for what became known as the ‘era of mass immigration’ which had a wide reaching impact on the city, affecting its architecture, urban design, cultural production, health and infrastructure. These factors have given rise to unique and often colourful districts within the city where both the tangible and intangible heritages of migration can be experienced first-hand, and stories of the joys and difficulties faced by many immigrant communities can be discovered.

During the conference, delegates will have the opportunity to take part in Study Visits – an afternoon of exploring the vibrant streets and architecture of Buenos Aires, learning more about its fascinating past, and discovering the historical effects of migration on a developing port city. Each walking tour is devised and delivered by historians that have graduated from the University of Buenos Aires, and will include a wealth of expert and local knowledge of the city.

You can sign up for your preferred study visit when you register for the conference. Please note that these are walking tours, so comfortable footwear is essential.

Study visits include:

“Paris of South America”

The walk focuses on the areas of Retiro and Recoleta, where Buenos Aires most clearly expresses its Parisian character, acquired in the early 20th century through its architectural styles and urban design. Plaza San Martín is one of the best examples of the belle époque, being the place where the upper class families settled and built their impressive residences at the turn of the century. We also visit other spots which evidently follow the French pattern: Alvear Avenue and Pellegrini square.

Length: 2 hrs.

From Village to Metropolis: The Role of Immigrants

One of the vertebral topics of Buenos Aires is the immigration status of their society. Since colonial times the city has continued to attract foreign population from around the world. And every place where cultural crossovers occur, Buenos Aires is full of brands that different communities have it printed in the past and still do in the present. This walk explores Montserrat and San Telmo telling the story of a remote village that finally became a modern metropoli.

Length: 2 hrs.

Historical Buenos Aires

This walk presents historical, social and cultural aspects of Buenos Aires, a city of contrasts. From its 1st. foundation in 1536 to recent days, the tour focuses on the political heart of the city through different periods of Argentine history; walking along the same cobblestone streets and seeing the old buildings that once where the home of Italian and Spanish migrants of the massive migration at the end of the XIX century and the beginning of the XX century. The tour includes a visit to Museo Casa Rosada, to see the archaeological remains of the colonial Fort and the Taylor Customs House from late XIX century, as well as objects from Argentine presidents and a mural painted by the Mexican artist D. A. Siqueiros.

Duration: 2.5 hours

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Visitas Guiadas

Durante la conferencia tendrán la oportunidad de participar de una serie de visitas guiadas orientadas a pensar los indicios de la tradición inmigratoria en Buenos Aires – una tarde para explorar las vibrantes calles y arquitectura de la ciudad, donde podrán aprender más de su fascinante pasado y descubrir el impacto de la inmigración en el desarrollo de la ciudad. Esta actividad tendrá lugar el 9 de abril y no involucra costos extras.

1. La París de Sudamérica

Una caminata por ese sector de Retiro que manifiesta como ningún otro el carácter parisino que adoptó Buenos Aires en a principios del siglo XX, debido a sus construcciones y parquización. Plaza San Martín es uno de los mejores ejemplos de ello, dado que las familias más distinguidas ubicaron allí sus residencias palaciegas. La caminata la recorre en profundidad y avanza luego hacia otros puntos “parisinos”: la plazoleta Pellegrini y Avenida Alvear.
Duración: 2 hs.

2. De aldea a metrópoli, el casco histórico

Cuatro siglos de historia concentrados en quince cuadras. El recorrido comienza por la Plaza de Mayo, el núcleo a partir del cual creció Buenos Aires y desde siempre el corazón de la ciudad. Continúa por Montserrat y San Telmo, que hasta fines del siglo XIX fueron el área residencial por excelencia y el asiento de las principales órdenes religiosas. La caminata muestra monumentales edificios públicos, viviendas antiguas, importantes iglesias, comercios y fábricas, repasando las historias de una aldea perdida que estaba destinada a convertirse primero en capital virreinal y después en gran metrópolis.

Duración: 2 hs.

3. Buenos Aires Histórico

La caminata Buenos Aires Histórico recupera aspectos sociales culturales e históricos de Buenos Aires, una ciudad de contrastes. Desde su primera fundación, en 1536, hasta la actualidad, el tour recorre el corazón político de la ciudad a través de diferentes períodos de la historia argentina, caminando por calles de adoquines y descubriendo las antiguas casas que una vez estuvieron habitadas por los españoles e italianos que fueran parte de la inmigración masiva de fines del siglo XIX y principios del XX. La caminata incluye una visita al Museo Casa Rosada para contemplar las ruinas arqueológicas del fuerte del período colonial, así como la antigua Aduana Taylor, de fines del siglo XIX; también se podrán observar mobiliario y objetos que pertenecieron a presidentes argentinos. Además, se visitará el mural pintado por el artista mexicano David Alfaro Siqueiros.

 Punto de encuentro: Plaza de Mayo, Pirámide de Mayo

Duration: 2.5 hs