Argentine Customs - Cartoon Walk and the San Telmo Fair (Sundays only)

Argentine Customs - Cartoon Walk and the San Telmo Fair (Sundays only)

Learn about the symbols that surrounds Plaza de Mayo which represent Argentina’s tragic political struggle. Discover the country’s traditions and idiosyncrasy through the emblematic characters of the Argentine comic strips and explore two of the city’s oldest neighborhoods: Monserrat and San Telmo. Try baked goods from a porteño bakery and drink mate, our national herbal tea. Take a walk through the San Telmo Fair and discover how Argentines spend their weekends.

You will meet your guide in Plaza de Mayo where you will begin your tour. Here you will learn about the history of Argentina and the most important political events of recent years whose marks we can still see in the square. See the black fence that guarded the government house after the protest that followed the 2001 economic crisis and the white headscarves painted on the ground surrounding the Piramide de Mayo in the center of the square, a tribute to the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo. Since 1977, the Mothers have marched every Thursday at 3:30 pm. around the pyramid, demanding to know the whereabouts of their children and grandchildren who disappeared during the last military dictatorship in 1976. You will find out why the government house is called the "Casa Rosada" by Argentines, and you will see the balcony from where Evita spoke to the "descamisados" (the Argentine working class).

We will continue our walk around the Ministry of Defense to see the marks left from the military bombardment that in 1955 sought to overthrow President Juan Domingo Perón (and they weren’t successful). Then make your way towards the "Paseo de las Historietas", or the Cartoon Walk, and see some of the most famous national comic characters that illustrate a little more about the history of the country and give us clues as to some Argentine personality traits. On the way we will meet the porteño "dandy" - as the inhabitants of Buenos Aires are called - the football fan, the elegant and beautiful Argentine woman and the gaucho from the countryside until we arrive at Mafalda, a cartoon character who was a fervent critic of reality, and perhaps one of the most famous satirical comic strip characters in the world. It is no coincidence that there is a comic strip walk, since humor characterizes the Argentine personality, that kind of "Creole liveliness" which has gained them quite a reputation worldwide.

We find ourselves now at the entrance to San Telmo. Your guide will give you some background about this historic neighbourhood, and you will visit the "Minimal House" (the smallest house in Buenos Aires) on San Lorenzo passage. On then to the Defense Passage, an old aristocratic house transformed into a tenement for immigrants following the yellow fever epidemic that struck the neighborhood.

You will continue walking towards Parque Lezama, where we will stop for some mates and to eat some "facturas" (traditional pastry) that you will buy in a typical Argentine bakery. Relax in the park while your guide explains what "mate" is (our national drink), how it is prepared and some myths surrounding the drink that come from the culture of the countryside. Then you will return through Plaza Dorrego, the main square in the neighborhood, to enjoy the famous San Telmo Fair and its old covered market (dating from 1897), where you can buy both food and antiques. Immerse yourself in the typical weekend activities of Argentines.