San Telmo

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We went out to San Telmo, a historic area of Buenos Aires, but first stopped at a craft market near our apartment at Plaza Serrano, where Amanda acquired a new scarf.




El Zanjon is a restored building in San Telmo that was built in the 1830s, possibly atop a very early settlement. It's owned by a private company, which has funded archeological digs and restored it with a mixture of original and modern fittings.


The tour starts in the first courtyeard, which was originally open to the sky.








The place is very artfully lit (somewhat spoiled by camera flashes) and this hall is often used to host dinners.




In floors scattered through the building are grilles that allow you to see through to historic points of interest below.


This is the underground level, now used for parties.




The original water cistern.


The buildings in this area were built atop a stream, which was enclosed in these tunnels (originally with dirt floors). At some point they were blocked up with garbage as a new sewer system removed the need for water to flow this way.






The garbage-filled culverts were a rich source of archaeological material, and the company eventually purchased rights from the neighbors so it could continue to excavate where the streams proceeded under the houses next door.






One of the fancy party areas.