Located on the southeast coast of the American continent, Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina and its most populated city. Curious facts about Buenos Aires reveal to us, for example, that it is the birthplace of Tango. And it is also a city in which opera and theater flourish and its restaurants offer the best cuts of meat from the Pampas region and the excellent wine from Mendoza. With world-class architecture and an extraordinary cultural and recreational life, especially at night, it is known as «the Paris of Latin America.» Join us at to discover the best 30 curiosities of Buenos Aires. They will surely surprise you.
30 curious facts about Buenos Aires that you should know
The city of Buenos Aires has approximately 3 million inhabitants, but its metropolitan area reaches 15 million people who live in the 24 districts adjacent to the capital. It is an important tourist destination and one of the most popular and beautiful cities in Latin America. The Río de la Plata, to the north and east, and the Riachuelo to the south mark the natural limits of this magnificent city. Join us to discover it in its peculiarities.
1. Founded twice
One of the curiosities of Buenos Aires is that it was founded twice. The first was in 1536 when Pedro de Mendoza founded a fort that was named Real de Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Ayre. Invocation of the Virgin that sailors venerated at that time. The Querandi, the local tribe, soon put them to flight, but a few years later, In 1580, the Spanish commanded by Juan de Garay returned and the settlement became permanent, taking the name of the City of the Holy Trinity and Port of Santa María de Buenos Aires.. Starting in the 17th century, its name was shortened to the current nomenclature.
2. Official port
Until 1776, Buenos Aires was not an official port for trade with Spain and a Viceroyalty. Before, The merchants of Buenos Aires were forced to take their goods to Peru, the viceroyalty to which the city belonged, and from there they went to Panama to embark. This encouraged smuggling, especially with the English, until it was officially named a “port.”
3. Descendants of Europeans
We add to the curiosities of Buenos Aires, the fact that 85% of its inhabitants are of European descent, the result of massive waves of immigrants from ItalyGermany and Spain, mainly, arriving from the end of the 19th century to the mid-20th century.
4. Your own federal district
Buenos Aires, like other capital cities such as Washington DC, has had its own federal district since 1880. Its official name is “Autonomous City of Buenos Aires” which is often cited as CABA.. Since 1994, the Argentine government granted independence to the city so that it could elect its own mayor.
5. A very wide avenue
One of the curiosities of Buenos Aires is one of its main streets: Avenida 9 de Julio. Walk through the city center from north to south. It has 16 traffic lanes on its central road and is one of the widest avenues in the world. since it is 140 meters. To cross it completely, several traffic lights are needed.
6. The Obelisk of Buenos Aires
Another curious fact about Buenos Aires is the emblem of its powerful Obelisk. Throughout its history, the Buenos Aires Obelisk has had different purposes and functions. In addition to being an emblematic monument, it has served as a setting for various activities and celebrations..
During the 1978 Soccer World Cup, the Argentine soccer team celebrated its victory in the world championship around the obelisk, becoming a symbol of joy and national unity. The same scenario was repeated with the 2023 World Soccer Championship.
7. The Obelisk… Temporary?
Well, this is one of the most interesting curiosities of Buenos Aires. Although its obelisk is one of the most recognized icons of the city, It was originally built as a temporary structure.
It was erected in 1936 to commemorate the quarter centenary of the founding of the city and was intended to be in place for only six months. However, due to its popularity and symbolic meaning, it was decided to leave it in its current location, becoming a permanent monument.
8. Streets in grids
In a large part of the city, The streets are organized in grids, which makes it very easy to get around Buenos Airesespecially in the large amount of public transportation that we find there.
9. The oldest subway
The Buenos Aires metro was built in 1913 and is the oldest in Latin America. At some of the stations on the numerous lines there are often artistic displays such as murals, sculptures and even musical performances. To commemorate the 100 years of operation, a complete symphony orchestra played at the Plaza de Mayo station on line A of the metro.
10. The Pink House
In Buenos Aires you will find the Casa Rosada, the building where the President of the Nation lives.n. There are two different theories about the origin of it being painted pink. One says that it symbolizes the union of two political parties at the end of the 19th century whose representative colors were white and red respectively.
The second says that it actually comes from the mixture, based on cow’s blood, with which buildings were painted to protect them from heat and humidity.
11. The Buenos Aires
We add to the curious facts about Buenos Aires, the fact that its inhabitants are known as «porteños.» This name also applies to people from other cities with a port such as El Puerto de Santa María in Cádiz. The name of the natives of the City of Buenos Aires is «porteño» and of those of the province of Buenos Aires it is «Bonaerense.»
12. The lunfardo
Another of the curiosities of Buenos Aires is that in some of its neighborhoods a dialect of Spanish known as lunfardo is spoken. It has so many Italian influences that its intonation, according to a recent study, It is more similar to Italian from Naples than traditional Spanish.
13. Many football stadiums
Buenos Aires is the city with the most soccer stadiums. Eight of the twenty best teams in Argentina are from the city and there is a great rivalry between them. The most famous stadium is La Bombonera where Boca Juniors plays, which made Maradona a star in the 1980s. There is a tourist tour that visits numerous stadiums in the city.
14. La Bombonera, very tight
La Bombonera, officially known as the Alberto J. Armando Stadium, is famous for its unique and distinctive architecture. An interesting curiosity is that The stadium stands are very close to the playing field, which creates a unique and tight atmosphere. Furthermore, one of the most notable features of La Bombonera is its inclination, especially in the popular “La Doce” (La 12) stand, where fans are closest to the grass.
15. And your club members
A singular curiosity of La Bombonera is the existence of «private partners.» These are fans who have acquired the right to own a seat in the stadium.
«Private members» can personalize their seats with names, emblems or messages related to the Boca Juniors club. This tradition began in the 1970s and became a unique way to engage fans with the stadium, creating a sense of belonging and a special connection between fans and the club.
16. The Colon Theater
The Teatro Colón is one of the 10 best opera theaters in the world and one of the 5 best for its concert acoustics. Its construction took 20 years and replaced the original that opened in 1857 and closed its doors in 1888.
17. Many bookstores
And here is one of our favorites among the curious facts about Buenos Aires. If you like to read, this is your city. It is the city with the largest number of bookstores: one for every 4,000 inhabitants. Apparently the success of these businesses is due to the policy of not charging taxes on the sale of books.
18. The Japanese Garden
A place to visit that is another of the curiosities of Buenos Aires is the Japanese Garden. It is located in the Palermo neighborhood and was built in the late 1960s to honor the visit of a prince from Japan. It is the largest Japanese garden outside of Japan.
19. The origin of tango
We add to the curiosities of Buenos Aires, the fact that his emblematic tango originated in the brothels that surrounded Buenos Aires and had African, European and native influences. According to experts, its origin was the dramatization of the relationship between a prostitute and her pimp.
Although at first it was considered offensive in some circles, artists like Carlos Gardel knew how to polish it so that when they took it to Europe it became an immediate success.
20. The emblematic University of Buenos Aires
In Buenos Aires it is the largest university in Argentina and the second largest in Latin America. Four Nobel Prize winners and many of the nation’s presidents have emerged from it. Che Guevara also studied medicine there.
21. One newspaper in English
We tell you about one of the curiosities of Buenos Aires that not everyone knows. From 1876 until July 31, 2017, an English newspaper was published in the city, it was the Buenos Aires Herald. During the military dictatorship it was the only Buenos Aires media outlet that regularly reported on the disappearances orchestrated by the government. In 1979, its director Robert Cox had to go into exile.
22. The Plaza de Mayo
The Plaza de Mayo is considered the main place of the founding of Buenos Aires. It was renovated in 1884 and has been the scene of the most important events in the history not only of the city, but of all of Argentina. It is known worldwide for being the place of demonstration of the «Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.»
23. The mothers of the Plaza de Mayo
The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo are a group of brave and feisty Argentine women who came together in the 1970s to search for their children who disappeared during the military dictatorship in Argentina..
Wearing white scarves on their heads as a symbol of their struggle, these mothers gathered in the emblematic Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires every Thursday to demand justice and know the whereabouts of their children.
24. The city with the most psychologists
According to a study conducted in 2012, One of the curiosities of Buenos Aires is being the city in the world with the most psychologists per capita. Many of them practice Freudian psychoanalysis.
25. The Recoleta Cemetery
Another of the famous places in the capital of Argentina and one of the curious facts about Buenos Aires is the Recoleta Cemetery. Locals and tourists alike visit it, attracted by the magnificent mausoleums.
Historical and famous figures of the nation are buried there. Among its tombs, that of Eva Perón stands out, whose embalmed corpse rests in the tomb of the Duarte family.
26. Traditional cafes
Cafe culture has had a long journey in Buenos Aires. One of the places…