Almagro

Introduction

Almagro is located west of Buenos Aires´ business district (Microcentro) just past Balvanera (which is more typically known by its three districts Abasto, Congreso and Once).  It lies between Av. Independencia and Av. Cordoba and straddles Av. Rivadavia.

Almagro has some very special qualities and so many different aspects of life in Buenos Aires seem to converge in this neighborhood (barrio).  Country houses (quintas), boarding houses (conventillos), schools, factories, churches, clubs, tango, poetry, political figures and more, peacefully coexist in this unique barrio.

North West of Recoleta, with Palermo on its border to the East, Almagro is a great location for tourists.

History

There has been some discussion regarding the origin of the name of this barrio.  Some say it was named for an 18^th century Spanish barrister who owned much of the area, Don Juan Maria Almagro y de la Torre, while others attribute the name to his son and inheritor of the lands, Don Juan M. Almagro.

The Almagro family purchased this land, originally part of the San Jose de Flores barrio, in 1839 and set up their quinta on the corner of Av. Rivadavia and Medrano.  Today, on that very same corner, you find Las Violetas, 125 years old and one of the more distinguished coffee houses in Buenos Aires.

The first people to live in Almagro were the Basoues (Indo-Europeans whose origins lie in the southwest of France and north of Spain) and were later followed by the Italians.

Conventillos (boarding houses) quickly sprung up around the area to accommodate the influx of immigrants, many of which became famous such as La Cueva Negra, where colored people lived and Maria la Luna, noted for its fights amongst its many neighbors.

During the 18^th century, Juan Maria de Almagro and Carlos de los Santos Valente, a Portuguese merchant owned most of Almagro and were fiercely opposed to urban development and so Almagro remained a center for dairy farming throughout that period.

With the development of the west line of the train system, over the course of the 19^th century, Almagro became an important industrial center and home to a series of hotels, warehouses and brick producing factories.

By the turn of the 20^th century, Almagro began to blossom into the barrio we know it as today with the introduction of a tramway.  By the 1930´s the neighborhood gained popularity for its proximity to the central Buenos Aires famers market called Abasto, now a modern shopping mall. Carlos Gardel the famous tango singer even composed a tango entitled Almagro.

Almagro Today

These days Almagro is a sort of crossroads of Buenos Aires with cars, buses and a subway (subte) passing through this area on their way into (or out of) the center of town (Microcentro).  A busy commercial center with all the hustle and bustle of high-rise apartments, modern Almagro is more authentically middle-class porteno than other nearby neighborhoods such as Palermo and Recoleta.

Friends of ours who live in this barrio call it ‘real Buenos Aires’ and those who invested good properties in the area over the past five years bought cheap and their properties command M2 values not dissimilar to the main tourist barrios.

Local Attractions

Almagro shares Parque Centenario along with the barrios of Caballito and Villa Crespo.  With its winding paths surrounding a large fountain, pond and its weekend market, this park attracts many visitors, particularly on sunny afternoons.

As noted above, in Almagro you can find Las Violetas, one of the most distinguished coffee houses in Buenos Aires, located at the corner of Medrano and Av. Rivadavia.

Almagro is also home to one of South America’s largest flower markets located at Acuña de Figeroa street.

Plaza Almagro Park, located on Sarmiento Street features a book fair on Sundays and a popular children’s playground.

Located just outside Almagro in the Abasto district (which it shares with Balvanera) one can find a more touristy area with rich roots in tango.  Here you will find the Carlos Gardel Museum (located at Jean Jaures 735), plenty of tango shops and restaurants, and plenty of colorful houses of a Gardel theme.

Just outside Almagro, you will also find the Abasto Shopping Center, originally a farmers’ market, converted into a modern shopping mall with 4 floors of trendy shops, a large movie theater, a children´s museum and an indoor amusement park. This is a favorite with children and a place that I am forced to visit all too often with a four year old who thinks it the best thing since sliced bread.

Restaurants and Nightlife

Almagro has a select number of options for restaurants and nightlife that you can enjoy.

Here are a few to get you started:

Los Sabios (Corrientes 3733):  An all-you-can-eat buffet of vegetarian cuisine run by a group of Buddhists.  Although a rather plain looking establishment, it’s a great deal for the budget conscious lover of food.

Bar de Roberto (Bulnes 331): a bohemian dive bar that features some great live music.

La Catedral (Sarmiento 4006): A very hip tango establishment catering mainly to the younger crowd.  Get there at 8pm and you can enjoy taking some tango classes

Misc. Fact(s)

On the 28 of September falls the yearly Día del Barrio de Almagro or “Almagro Neighborhood Day”, which is marked by celebrations across the main points of the barrio.

Pros and Cons

If you want to feel authentic Porteño Buenos Aires, Almagro is a great place to go.  Ideally located next to Palermo and just a few blocks from Recoleta, Almagro is a great location and very affordable.

On the other hand with its commercial nature Almagro does not offer as many entertainment options as places like Palermo, Recoleta and San Telmo.