La Estancia Santa Susana, located roughly an hour outside the city of Buenos Aires, was our break from big city life. After exiting the highway we were greeted by bright pink buildings and sprawling land, an oasis away from the bustling city. While the surrounding area developed, Santa Susana’s nearly 3000 acres remained, a peek into Argentina’s guacho history.

We toured the pink house as well as the chapel, which provided confession to the families. Pictures scattered throughout the house gave a glimpse into the people that used to live and ranch here. There was an abundance of crosses and religious figures, showing the integral role of Catholicism in the daily lives of Argentinians.

After touring the home, we were offered empanadas and wine (yes, at 11:30 in the morning). Beef empanadas for those so inclined and humita (mashed corn) for those not. We devoured our snacks and were ushered towards the horse arena. The pen was filled with stocky polo horses ranging in color and size. Once atop the los caballos (with a jsa sound) we set forth to take a loop around some of the land. Although it was cloudy, windy and a touch chilly the land was flat and vast, not unlike the Midwest. Wagon rides were also offered and provided a faster (and bumpier) tour of some of Santa Susana’s grounds.

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Lunch was next on our agenda and we were directed into a large dining facility. However before entering, we walked through where the meat was being cooked. Later seven variations of this meat was served, but instead for me, I was given a cheese omelette of sorts on a bed of rice. We were treated to live music as well as traditional tango and Northern Argentina dance.

Our final event at la Estancia was a guacho show. The cowboys rode around the ring herding groups of horses and performing tricks like picking up a ring while galloping. They even took us for rides cantering, and in some cases galloping *cough cough Leah* around.

The festivities concluded and we boarded the bus to return to the city. It was a fun day for all and an interesting look into a different aspect of Argentine life. Thus far, it has been my favorite day. Being on the ranch made me realize the similarities between gaucho culture and culture of Western cowboys and that maybe we weren’t so far away from home.

Friday’s adventure was an interesting cultural experience as we explored two of the most prolific art collections I have ever seen. Our first stop was the National Museum of Fine Arts, a collection of 215 permanent works of art housed in one of the most heavily guarded places we’ve been so far. With an art history general education class under my belt, I was able to appreciate some of the Renaissance and Impressionist works displayed in the gallery and other works that were inspired by Carravagio, Van Gogh, and Pueyrredon. My favorite Pueyrredon work was a larger than life sized portrait of Manuelita Rosas, a revered Argentinian political figure and daughter of Juan Manuel de Rosas. I learned that Pueyrredon was a key figure in the design and fabrication of the May Pyramid in Plaza de Mayo, a monument that has been at the center of our adventures in Buenos Aires. In the contemporary collection, I enjoyed that the pieces focused on great detail but when you took a step back the artwork revealed a completely different pictures. My favorite piece from the contemporary collection, for obvious reasons, was a piece entitled “Escuchando a Bruce Springsteen.”

Our second stop was a collection of artwork in the National Museum of Decorative Arts which was housed in a French style mansion that was designed to be the retirement quarters for a wealthy Latin American military family. I thought it was interesting to see the size and intricacy of 19th and early 20th century mansion; the building looked like something from a Disney fairytale yet it was completed in 1916. This place, just as the MNBA, was heavily guarded which I found to be interesting given the minimum security nature of some of the museums and historical sites in the United States. There was somewhat of an artwork overload in this collection which made it difficult for me to able to take everything in.

Overall it was a very interesting day that ended with dinner at the local shopping center Kentucky Fried Chicken. The steak and Italian food has been wonderful, but sometimes you just need that unique taste of home!

I had been looking forward to this event way back before we had even left for Argentina, and the trip did not disappoint! A brief history of gauchos and estancias in Buenos Aires began in the 17th century after cows had been found around the Pampas. These gauchos (not named until later) established estancias (large cattle ranches) there and became well known for being great horsemen. In the next century, the gauchos used the leftover cattle meat to eat and prepared it over fire in a way that is now known as asado.

After a quick breakfast at the hotel, the group hopped in the charter bus and, much to our tour guide Adriana’s dismay, slept for the whole hour and a half ride to the estancia Santa Susana located North of Retiro. However, as soon as we arrive we are awake and luckily greeted with empanadas and either white wine, red wine, or orange juice. (While I was eyeing the wine, I stuck with the OJ and it tasted just like Sunny-D.) We were given a brief tour of the house located on the estancia. The house had colonial style architecture on the outside, but was filled with many pieces of furniture, toys, and pictures from many decades seen around those parts. There was also a church where people living on or near the estancia could be married. The last house we visited was one were servants or slaves stayed, but inside had outfits with matching hats, handbags, and other accessories from throughout the 1800s-present day. I saw a pretty groovy print dress sandwiched between 1950 and 60.

After our tour we walked over to finally check out the horses that of course you expect to find on a gaucho farm. There were a couple dozen for us to ride, and I was eager to jump back on a horse after not getting on for several years. (I used to ride horses at summer camp for a few years growing up.) We patiently waited for our turn because there were a few other groups visiting the farm from all over the globe (China, Chile, Spain, Netherlands, England, Russia, and more). This was not a boring wait because some of us took the opportunity to ride a horse drawn carriage. Others took in the surroundings when funnily enough we noticed an unsaddled horse who appeared to be wearing a tshirt sort of thing and just roaming around. She was very silly and ran around in circles and sprinted at top speed to nowhere purely for our entertainment it seemed. A few of us named her Susan (after the farm).

Finally we get to mount the saddles and walk around the estancia’s trail with the gauchos in the lead. My horse did not have a name as far as I know, and he was an old fella. I don’t know if he was grumpy or just did his own thing because at one point I was being lead into a different section of fence and was almost ran into a tree. Luckily I could stop us and a gaucho brought him back on the trail. I really missed riding horses – this was definitely my favorite part of the day.

Michael (Professor Newell’s son), Patrick, and Claudia waiting to ride

My trusty steed

But the day was not over! We were moved into a lovely dining room for lunch and were fed a huge amount of food starting with drinks and salad. Next came the meat where gaucho after gaucho came out to provide us different types. First we tried the chorizo sausage which I found to be fairly tasty, but what followed pretty much scared me completely. BLOOD SAUSAGE. Our lovely Victoria tells us that blood sausage is her favorite and takes two pieces. I opt for one since I had never tried one and… well I’m never having one again. (It was a texture thing.) A few pieces of steak and chicken followed which was all good and finally we ended with dessert – flan.

Dinner is nothing without a show, so following dessert we watched a couple perform different dances with different costumes and live singing! (I have included some videos – I apologize in advance for the poor video shooting.)

Our last experience at the estancia was watching the gauchos show the crowd some tricks. First, they herded horses in groups in an interesting way. Then, three gauchos competed in trying to catch small rings hung in the air using a pen shaped object while galloping straight at them. If you were lucky, they would give you the ring as a gift. Lastly, the girls had a chance to ride on the horses again, but this time accompanied by a gaucho who took you full speed on the horse.

Pictures of the horses getting ready for the show.

I enjoyed myself today very much, I will always remember the time I rode horses in Argentina. Not many people can say they have done that! This trip is amazing and I can’t wait to see what will happen next!

Today the class took a trip to the National Historical Museum in San Telmo, a vibrant, upscale district with many French style buildings and grandiose and colorful churches. Upon arriving we saw the museum’s beautiful yard complete with many full gardens and commemorative and decorative statues celebrating San Martín.

The museum showcased the historical importance of San Martín in Argentine history and revolution. We were able to see reconstructions of San Martín’s living quarters with the actual furniture and floor plan. It was interesting to find out that San Martín, although a Spaniard, actually lived in France, and his granddaughter who donated the furniture lives there as well. We examined the different décor and living styles of this period’s colonial upper-class. Next we looked at San Martín’s clothing, highlighting the differences in poncho meanings and his formal solider uniform. The tour guide directed us to a quote from San Martín describing his views on the cavalry, solders, and roles of blacks and mixed peoples. “El major soldado… que tenemos son los negros y mulatos; los de estas provincias [blancos] no son aptos sino para caballería” (the best solders… we have are the blacks and mixed peoples: those of these provinces [whites] are not fit for the cavalry).

I think this really shows the historical diversity that is in Argentine culture and go against the “No hay negros en Argentina” (There are no blacks in Argentina) myth which is present in modern popular culture. To finish the tour we discussed the Argentine revolutions. First we touched on San Martín’s role and moved into talks about what el 25 de Mayo, one of two days celebrating independence in Argentina, actually represents. May 25^th for Argentina, is not about the beginning or the end of a battle, but rather the beginning of a movement. This was a huge moment for the population of Argentina, in which they came together as one unit to overcome the colonial power, as one, white, black and mixed, Argentina fought.

After leaving the National Historical Museum we headed to La Boca. The streets were filled with many people, with venders on each side. In the streets danced many couples, performing the famous and suave Argentine tango, on the cobble stone streets of the markets with the bright colored houses in the background. The venders sold authentic Argentine foods like empanadas (a type of pastry that has either cheese, meat, vegetables or a combination) and alfajores (dessert with two cookies and dulce de leche in between then dipped in chocolate), cultural treasures like paintings and jewelry, and souvenirs like key chains and maté cups (a cultural tea enjoyed by many Argentines) with Argentina and images of famous Argentine people like Lionel Messi, Eva Perón, and Che Guevara.

To wrap up our excursion to La Boca, we went to see La Bombonera, the stadium of the local soccer, or fútbol, team the Boca Juniors. Along the walls we saw many pictures depicting the culture and history of the Boca Juniors. Proud flags hanged everywhere with paintings of fútbol plays and soccer balls. One mural painting pointed out a key part of Boca Junior history: their colors. A Swedish ship crosses a blue ocean as a hand pants a yellow line over the blue background. The uniforms of Boca Juniors were actually pink but after their first game, the colors would change, and the color change would depend on the next ship that came into the port. When the Swedish ship crossed and docked, the official colors of Boca Juniors changed to blue and yellow, the same as the Swedish flag.

On Wednesday, May 20^th, we started off the day with a lecture from Maria Victoria on Argentinean merchants and trade networks and on marriage and racial classifications in pre-independence Argentina. It was really interesting to see the plethora of racial categorizations and the complex racial structure that demarcated certain marriages apart from others. We also looked at a variety of primary source documents, among which was a list containing the entire contents of a wealthy woman’s dowry. Besides fine jewelry, furniture, and other objects from all over South America, Europe, and Asia, her dowry also included a young slave girl. There were myriad controls and restrictions on marriage; however, Professor Newell iterated that women in Spanish America, unlike women in British America, retained certain rights over their property and personhood. We also learned about the importance of the complex trade networks, stretching up to the Lima and beyond, and how the Native Americans of the region played a vital role in securing the success of these networks.

After taking a short break for lunch, the group proceeded to the National Historical Museum. There, we viewed a variety of Argentine relics and learned more about the country’s history. The guide emphasized José de San Martín’s important role in securing independence for Argentina, Chile, and Peru. I was surprised to learn that he had actually spent a great deal of his life in Europe, an ironic fact given that he is widely revered alongside Bolívar as a liberator of South America from colonial rule. She also presented us with a representation of what the general’s room would have looked like. He was short in height, not unlike Napoleon; the spread of disease and the relative inadequacy of nutrition in that time meant that most individuals were not tall by modern standards. The use of chamber pots and their disposal in the streets also accelerated the spread of disease, already unchecked by the sewage-tainted water supply. Surprisingly, San Martín lived to the age of 72, a rare feat uncommon for a time in which most did not make it past fifty. Our guide also described the system of governance of colonial Buenos Aires and emphasized that although those in government were required to be property-owning white men, women, people of color, and working-class individuals were not necessarily deferential to authority and commonly spoke out regarding their hopes and concerns for the future.

San Martin

San Martin’s Room

After our visit to the museum, our group decided to visit the eclectic and culturally-rich neighborhood of La Boca. This barrio, with its strong Italian heritage and colorful houses, is a popular destination for tourists visiting Buenos Aires. Tango shows, clubs, taverns, gift shops, and a diverse array of restaurants dot this vibrant community. It was enjoyable to walk the cobblestone streets among the tango performers and street vendors. As a working-class community, it also has a long history of radical, left-wing politics and demonstrations.

La Boca

Street Art in La Boca

After our visit to the beautiful community of La Boca, we undertook a trip to the nearby soccer stadium. Soccer, or fútbol, is a part of the Argentine national consciousness, and most citizens of this nation display a zeal for the sport largely unmatched throughout the world. Here, people are sometimes even killed at soccer matches that turn violent. I was also surprised to find out how cheap the jerseys are here in comparison to those found in the United States. In some ways, this expands the ability of members of society of all social strata to come together and take part in a shared, collective experience.

Soccer Stadium

I was also pleased to see the beautiful art that adorns the stadium, with each panel representing some historical event or occurrence. In Buenos Aires, art is clearly very important and even the graffiti has a deep cultural meaning.

Soccer Stadium Art

Today was another enjoyable and educational day in Buenos Aires. I look forward to further developing my knowledge of Argentinean history and culture in the days to come.

Today, we had the opportunity to visit the country’s national archives and learn about the history of the railroad in the country and view the extensive preservation and storage process for historical documents and photos that tell the good and bad of the country’s story. Railroads in Argentina, just as in the United States, played a large role in the spread of people and ideas during the late 19th and 20th centuries and is currently the 8th largest network in the world. Argentina, despite its rich history, is still developing as country in terms of infrastructure. The building where the archives are stored was very humid and lacked a reasonable ventilation system to create an environment suitable for storage of the delicate items.

The most interesting part of the day for me was the opportunity to tour the area around La Casa Rosada and Plaza de Mayo. We had the opportunity to see remnants of the 1955 bombing of Plaza de Mayo, an act orchestrated by the Argentine Navy and Air Force as they opposed the Juan Perón era of government. One of the interesting things I have realized about Argentina’s government and its relationship with the people. Argentinians have great national pride and loyalty despite its recent legacy of dictatorship and political corruption. One of the buildings in Plaza de Mayo has never been restored from its damage from the bombings in order to remember the event and honor the lives lost in the tragedy.

I have realized that the city of Buenos Aires is very unique because it shares a personal history and the history of the nation. While exploring Plaza de Mayo, we had the opportunity to watch the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo march for answers to the disappearance of their children during the “Dirty War” period. Many people marched in solidarity with the mothers as they chanted and sang around the May Pyramid in the center of the plaza. It was interesting to witness this because of the events taking place in the United States right now as people of color are searching for answers and a resolution to a culture of state violence. It brings up a question of if things will ever be solved if these women are still searching for answers from their government over 30 years later.

On the bright side, it was a beautiful day in the city. We had the opportunity to see people on their morning commute to work, children on field trips, tango street performers, and people doing yoga in the park. Overall, Buenos Aires is a vibrant city and I look forward to uncovering more of the culture in the upcoming days.

Much like the city of Buenos Aires, today was filled with many different things. Instead of having class like usual, we woke up a bit earlier than usual and went to the national archives. It was interesting to see how they took care of all the documents and how things like humidity could cause problems. I liked having the opportunity to read older Spanish primary source documents because it allowed me to see and compare how Spanish was once written and how it is written now. I feel that going to the national archives was one of the best ways to see first hand how a language can develop. The national archives also made me think about how open Argentina is about showing many of these documents whereas in Italy, the Vatican secret archives cannot be accessed by the public. I felt that this was a very important thing for Argentina to do because history should be shared with the public and not hidden in any way. I found it interesting that there were many younger people working at the national archives and it made me wonder if this was some kind of internship for them or if they were pursuing working there as a career. After going to the national archives we went to lunch at La Parolaccia which was very good and did not take quite as long as some of our other meals. After walking for some time and seeing dancers in the street, we saw people walking to honor those who were lost during the last military dictatorship in Argentina from government-forced disappearances. It was unexpected and really an amazing thing to see even though there was not a lot of people involved in it. It’s the kind of thing that isn’t just the sightseeing you can do when you visit any country, but something that is specific to Argentina and particularly Buenos Aires. I realize more and more each day how big this city is and how much it has happening within it. Although it may be exhausting, it’s amazing how much we can accomplish and see everyday.     

Today can be summed up in two simple words: walking and learning. When the charter bus showed up and the front of the hotel this morning, we assumed we would be in for a relaxing day of sightseeing, including visits to important historical sites. However, what we did not realize exactly how much we would be walking! According to my iPhone Health App, we walked over 22,000 steps, accounting for almost 5 miles of walking (and we have not even gone to dinner yet!) But while our feet were sore by the end of the excursions, I believe there was a positive correlation between the amount of walking and the amount we learned. Today’s focus: the barrios of San Telmo and Puerto Madero.

Our first stop of the day of excursions was visiting the shops of San Telmo. We were able to see what a traditional market looks like, as well as see where the world-famous San Telmo Flea Market takes place every Sunday. Soon after, we walked to our first historical site: Zanjon de Granados and the Casa Minima. Zanjon is a museum in the heart of the neighborhood that is dedicated to showcasing the architecture of the neighborhood during the 17th-19th century. Once an semi-open home with 3 courtyards greeting guests as their entered, this site is was recently been covered to secure its reconstructed beauty. Throughout its years as a home, Zanjon served several purposes: a home for the wealthy then a safe haven for immigrants as a tenement. By examining the different bricks and water systems, archaeologists were able to identify exact purposes of each fun for the different people occupying the house. One of the biggest archaeological discoveries of this house was a tunnel system that was used for drainage. It can be determined that this was installed early when the wealth held occupancy, because it was a rare and costly amenity to have. A fun fact about the water system is that the family used turtles as cleaning tactic to eat and remove algae from their water to make it drinkable.

Underground Tunnels in Zanjon

Apart from the physical aspects of the house, due to our intelligent guide, we learned about the different ethnic influences on architecture during the 18th and 19th centuries. After the revolution, many people in Buenos Aires began to resent traditional Spanish practices. Many demonstrated this by crafting their houses to resemble other European cultures. The favorite among the wealthy was to have their houses resemble French culture. On the other hand, many not-as-affluent residencies resembled those of the Italian culture. This was because many Italians migrated to Argentina during the 18th and 19th centuries because the government hired people to market Argentina as a profitable location with a lot of land. When they immigrated, the Italians brought their traditions along with them. There was such a strong Italian influence that, at one point, their were more people who spoke Italian than those who spoke Spanish. To make sure that Spanish remained the national language, the government required students to attend an “immersion school” where they learned Spanish, the national anthem, and other traditional Argentine customs. They wanted to reduce the diversity in order to bring everyone together.

Group Picture After Visit

When we were done with the tour of Zanjon, we crossed the street and saw La Casa Minima. This was the smallest house in Buenos Aires when it was still being used as a house. While this “house” contained only a single-claustrophobic room, the house was filled with history. It was originally a part of a much larger mansion, but when slavery was abolished by the constitution in the mid-19th century, the family divided up different parts of their mansion and gave them to their former slaves so they could continue working as servants.  When Yellow Fever and Cholera infected San Telmo, the wealthy inhabitants fled to the countryside, leaving their abandoned homes in the hands of their former slaves. Because the Africans stayed behind, many were killed by the disease. This is one reason why there is not a large African American presence in Argentina today.

La Casa Minima

After Zanjon and Las Casa Minima, we continued our day by walking about the neighborhood. Unfortunately, it began to rain, but that did not stop us from seeing all the Argentinian cartoons that have been made into statues and strategically placed around the neighborhood. After our walking tour of San Telmo, it was finally time for lunch! We ate at Cafe de San Juan and enjoyed a typical Italian-inspired Argentine meal.

Street Art in San Telmo

After lunch our endeavor for 10 miles of walking continues by walking the near-bye neighborhood of Puerto Madero. While Puerto Madero was one of the original 3 port locations in Buenos Aires back in the early centuries as a city, it was recently become a popular destination in BA. Today, it is the newest district and in order to live in the neighborhood, one must have an extremely well paying job or have a nice trust fund from daddy sitting in the bank. According to our guide, over 70% of the people who live in the district only live in BA for 2 months a year: it is essentially their vacation home. As we walked, be saw the skyscraper apartments, beautiful plaza, and finished off be walking through the conservatory.

OHIO at the Puerto Madero Conservatory

By the end of the day, and after all the walking, I was more than ready for a siesta!

On Tuesday May 19th, we took an excursion to San Telmo to tour the Zanjon de Granados museum. The Zanjon, which means creek, was an abandoned house/property that was first bought with the intentions to invest to the neighborhood, however, the owner discovered a tunnel in the back of the house. The owner hired archeologists from the University of Buenos Aires and they found signs that the house was once used to run a colonial drainage system and ran to a creek.

 This is where water was filtered and cleaned of sediments.

You can see lighter spots where the archeologists broke through to explore the tunnel.

This ended up being one of the first private archeological works and it is very fascinating how this property was built on the southern creek that led to the river. The tunnel was separated by house so that each neighbor could privately use their tunnel. The entire restoration process took about 20 years and it is believed that it took about 50 years to tunnel the whole stream.

The tunnel that used to have cement walls for separation between neighbors homes. 

One house had a pile of trash clogged in their tunnel. After archeologists removed the trash one of the families bedroom collapsed into the basement.

In 1871, the house was bought out and drained and turned into a tenement house for mostly Italian immigrants. These immigrants were indentured servants in this house for almost 100 years. It was very interesting to be able to see first hand the changes that were made to convert the house from a drainage system over a creek into a slave tenement house. We could see how big rooms were turned into smaller rooms with bars on the windows and lower entrances.

The Zanjon requires a lot of funding from governments and events they host such as banquet and tours. The museum is not quite ready to be fully opened yet but is a great establishment for so much history and culture. All in all, we had the chance to learn a lot of history that pertains to Spanish America and developments of the unique mixture of culture between the Natives, Spanish and French from the Zanjon.

Smaller rooms for slaves with bars on the windows.

You can still see the brick and adobe from the original house.

Something you won’t normally see, the bottom of a well. 

On Thursday May 14, the talk of the town in Buenos Aires was that evening’s fútbol match between crosstown rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate. Any game between these two teams is an automatic superclásico, and in this case a spot in the international Copa Libertador quarterfinals was at stake. Tickets sold for OSU v. Michigan prices—up to 600USD.

Walking down the street that evening, we heard sirens and saw a string of motorcycle police approach–a crime wave? High speed chase? No, it was the River Plate team bus and their police escort headed to Boca’s stadium, La Bombonera (“chocolate box”). Cars honked and passersby yelled, and not just because the bus snarled traffic; Boca supporters hate the Plate and the feeling is mutual.

We joined the other porteños in watching the game on TV. The city came to a standstill. The first half ended in a scoreless tie, but the crowd provided its own entertainment with signal flares, drones, and banners. The stadium rocked.

As the teams gathered to enter the field for the second half, the River Plate players ran out of their tunnel shouting and clutching their eyes. Someone had sprayed pepper gas into the tunnel.

In real time no one knew what had happened. Players, coaches, police officers, and league administrators wandered around the field for over an hour until the league finally called the game.

Newspapers and TV remain fixated on the incident. Some of the players suffered visible burns.  Boca received a stiff penalty—a forfeit of the match and a four-game suspension from international play.

But for Argentinians the “supershameful” incident sparked a ongoing national discussion about violence and soccer—amplified because a player died as a result of injuries incurred during another match a few days earlier.