Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
African Rhythm
The presence of blacks in the area had more than
a coincidental impact on the birth of the tango in
that same area. The rhythm and beat of the first
tangos were distinctly African influenced. The
blacks did not remain in Argentina for very long,
but the unique cultural influence they brought
with them did.
For a time in the late 18th and early 19th cen-
tury a great number of wealthy homes were
built to accommodate the prominent people
who were moving to the area. Generals Liniers,
Manuel Belgrano and Lavalle lived in San
Telmo at different times. The majority of the
homes were Spanish colonial with wrought-
iron adornments on the doors and windows,
and Andalusian-style balconies that were
handmade for distinguished families. These
flat-roofed two-story houses overwhelmed the
older Romanesque structures that featured
slanted roofs, ample use of tiles, inner patios
and long, spacious rooms.
The street now called
Defensa
was originally
called Mayor and it was here that the
aguateros
or water vendors would slowly ride on their
horse-driven wagons, sitting amongst large
casks of fresh water that they sold house-to-
house. The ladies of the house would collect the
wash and deliver it to the washerwomen who
