San Telmo

Sunday, Jan 6 – Day 18

Went to explore San Telmo today. It’s the oldest neighborhood in BA, and was originally home to the city’s upper-crust. After a yellow fever epidemic in 1870, the elite moved north to what is now the Recoleta area, and San Telmo became somewhat of a slum (hey, who wants yellow fever?).

Every Sunday, they shut down several blocks of Aveneda Defensa to create an open-air antiques market. San Telmo is also the home of the original tango salons, which are called milongras. Legend has it that the tango originated in the local brothels here during the late 1800’s. It’s fairly well accepted that that’s where the music started – ladies were in short supply, and two or three piece bands were the only source of entertainment for the waiting clients – but the dance probably originated in the courtyards of the local tenement buildings. A few tango dancers were making some tips dancing in the street, and they looked pretty good. I’m looking forward to getting a few lessons under my belt so that I can hit a few of those milongras. Ha!

As far as the antiques go, most of the stuff sold on the street looked typical like garage-sale crap, but a lot of dealers have permanent showrooms with some pretty cool stuff.

School starts tomorrow morning, so it will be a quiet night. Hopefully, my sleep pattern will get back to normal soon.