The Teatro Colón: Argentina’s Most Resplendent Theater

One of Buenos Aires’ finest landmarks, the grand Teatro Colón occupies an entire city block and an even larger space in the hearts and minds of Argentines.

The theater is rated as one of the best five opera houses in the world for acoustics and overall comes in at number three, after La Scala in Milan and Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, according to National Geographic. Since it opened over a hundred years ago, the Colón is celebrated for its countless world-class operas, ballets and classical music acts. Among the luminaries who have performed here are María Callas, Astor Piazzola, Richard Strauss, Igor Stravinsky, Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, who commented that the acoustics were so perfect here that it made him nervous to perform because any mistake was amplified.

Early History of the Teatro Colón

The Teatro Colón was originally in the Plaza de Mayo, now the site of the National Bank. The old theater functioned between 1857 and 1888, but it wasn’t as popular as anticipated, and didn’t break even.

Since moving to its new location, an air of the unknown has always lurked around the illustrious Colón. Italian architect Francesco Tamburin laid the first stone of the new building in 1890 before dying unexpectedly a year later. His partner Victor Meano took over, though the project had to stop in 1894 due to financial problems – the mix of private and public funding only added up to 15% of the cost of the project. Meano had his own issues, after being caught in a love triangle with his valet, he was murdered by his servant in his own home in 1904.

The project was already beginning to lose money and the proposed opening date in 1892 was by now a distant memory. The state injected more money into the project and put a third architect, Belgian-born Jules Dormal, in charge.

After nearly twenty years of construction, on May 25, 1908 the Colón finally opened its doors and wowed the crowds with Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, Aida. Some parts of the building were still under construction, but the theater still managed to put on 14 operas and 54 functions that same year.

Colón Theater – The Building

The magnificent seven-story building has almost 2500 seats and standing room for 500 spectators. In the style of other 20th century European theaters it is in the shape of a horseshoe with an attractive dome on the ceiling, painted by Argentine Raúl Soldi in 1966. The glittering chandelier at its center weighs a staggering five tons. Every inch of the Colón is decorated with fine attention to detail, even the plush crimson seats are stuffed with horsetails, and all aspects of the theater are made to ensure the highest quality of acoustics possible.

A view of the stage at the Colón Theater from the upper balcony seats — Courtesy of Nahuel Padrevecchi/GCBA

The classical music pit has room for 120 musicians, the stage is slightly slanted to allow better viewing and has a revolving disk to allow for slick scene changes.

Ticket Prices at the Teatro Colon

Tickets at the theater have typically been accessible, as standing seats are available, meaning that people from all social strata can enjoy the theater. Traditionally, the location of your seat is an indicator of your class. Orchestra and box seats are the most desirable and expensive, allowing visitors access to the Golden Hall and the entrance via the elegant Grand Staircase. The prices rose substantially in 2012, some by a whopping 600%, though compared to similar opera houses across the globe, they still remain reasonable. There are a number of free shows throughout the year, check the website linked below for details.

Renovations: The Master Plan

In the year 2000 a ‘Master Plan’ to renovate the Colón was made. It was originally decided that the theater would remain open while the changes took place, but in 2006 Argentine folklore goddess Mercedes Sosa sang at the closing ceremony amidst famous faces and disgruntled workers.

The plan was to open in May 2008, just in time for the Colón’s 100th birthday but the refurbishments were delayed. After the 2007 elections, Buenos Aires then-mayor, Mauricio Macri pledged to make the Colón his priority and injected even more money into the project.

The Salon Dorado, or Golden Hall at the Colon Theater — The Salon Dorado, courtesy GBCA

Grand Bicentennial Re-opening of the Theater

After much controversy and severe delays, the theater re-opened with a grand ceremony in May 2010, which coincided with Argentina’s bicentenary celebrations. Many breathed sighs of relief as the acoustics were deemed intact and the Colón looked more resplendent than ever. The renovations cost an estimated 300 million Argentine pesos.

Guided Tours, Getting Tickets & Dress Code

Guided tours of the Teatro Colón begin every 15 minutes, seven days a week and last approximately 50 minutes. The tours are in English, Spanish and Portuguese. They are free for children under six and discounts are provided for seniors and students.

The best way to buy tickets to performances is to simply buy them at the box office. You can purchase them online or on the telephone, but unless an Argentine credit card is used, the price will be at the official exchange rate. Still, for popular performances it may be the easiest way to secure tickets without having to cue.

In the more expensive seats, especially for a gala performance, formal wear is now again required. The least expensive Paraíso (‘Paradise,’ or upper balcony seats) seats do not have a dress code, but visitors will still feel out of place if wearing sneakers and t-shirts.

Make sure to arrive on time — in contrast to most things in Argentina, punctuality is important at the Teatro Colón — visitors cannot enter after the performance begins.

–Rosie Hilder

⇒ Take a three-hour Buenos Aires Walking & Colon Theater Tour

⇒ Book tickets for a 11 a.m. tour for $25 via our contact form or take the Skip-the-Line Colón Theater Tour

Teatro Colón
Cerrito 628
Tickets, Colón cafe & tours: Tucumán 1171
Performance entrance: Libertad 621
4378-7100 (general)
4378-7127 (tours)
5254-9100 (tickets)

→ To see the entire 2018 schedule of the Colón click here

→ Read our Porteño Corner interview with Sarah Stern, harpist at the Colón Theater.

The Plaza de Mayo: Argentina’s Most Famous Square

The Plaza de Mayo is as fundamental to Argentine political history as La Boca and homesick immigrants are to tango. The square is a political hub, financial and administrative center and throughout history has been a symbol of disaster, rebellion and hope.

In May 1810 the revolution began in what was then called the Plaza de la Victoria. Six years later Argentina won independence from Spain and the square was given its current name, May Square. Among the three important historic buildings on the plaza, are the Cabildo, the former seat of the Colonial government, the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral — now famous as Pope Francis’ former parish, and of course the government house, the Casa Rosada.

Communities from all walks of life convene to voice their political opinions in the square. Common sights in the Plaza de Mayo are veterans of the Malvinas/Falklands conflict, who have a permanent protest camp set up, workers going about their business, political marches, protests, gawping tourists taking snaps, TV camera crews, and eccentric old folks feeding large flocks of pigeons.

Peronism in the Plaza: Perón and Evita

One of the most dramatic events to change Argentine history occurred here on October 17^th, 1945, today celebrated as ‘Loyalty Day.’ Thousands gathered in the square to demand the release of Juan Domingo Perón, who held an important government position at the time but had been imprisoned by his own party – they viewed his growing popularity as a threat. This sealed Perón’s fate as a working class hero. He was released by the government after this protest and became president a year later. Following his election it became tradition for families to gather in the square on national holidays, particularly on May 1st, (Workers’ Day), and on May 25 (May Revolution Day).

President Perón and his wife Maria Eva Duarte, affectionately known as Evita, famously delivered their speeches from the balcony of the Casa Rosada, to the thousands of supporters, known as descamisados (shirtless ones), gathered in the square.

Bombings in the Plaza de Mayo

A tragic event in the square’s history occurred on April 15^th, 1953 when two members of the opposition party, Roque Carranza, planted two bombs during a political gathering. Five people died and 95 were injured.

Two years later, on June 16th the square was bombed once again by the Argentine Air Force in an attempt to overthrow Perón’s government in what is remembered as La Masacre de la Plaza de Mayo (May Square Massacre). Thirty-two planes shot over 9.5 tons of shells on the square and although the death count has been subject to debate, it is now thought to be 321, and more than 700 injured.

Today visitors can still see bullet holes on some of the buildings surrounding the plaza. The coup attempt was an abject failure, but three months later, the armed forces joined together and overthrew Perón’s government in another attack.

Recent Clashes & Cacerolazo’s in the Plaza

More fresh in the mind of Argentines, are images of the plaza during the 2001 economic crisis, or corralito, where thousands of people banged pots and pans (in what’s known as a cacerolazo) in the Plaza de Mayo to protest withdrawal clamps and devaluation of their savings after the government converted them into the much weaker Argentine currency. There were violent incidents between the police and protesters across the country and the police killed five people in the Plaza de Mayo. Just as Isabel, Perón’s second wife had done in 1976, the sitting President, Fernando De la Rúa famously ‘escaped’ from the Casa Rosada by helicopter after resigning.

Tens of thousands still sometimes fill the plaza and surrounding area in protest as with the Cazerolazos of 2012 and more recently, in reaction to Federal Prosecutor, Alberto Nisman’s suspicious death.

The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo

One of most emblematic symbols of the Plaza de Mayo are the Madres de la Plaza or Mothers of May Square. These are women whose children were ‘disappeared’ by the military dictatorship (1976-1983). The mothers demanded to know where their children were and began to march around the May Pyramid in the middle of the square wearing handkerchiefs with their children’s’ names embroidered on them. The weekly marches started in 1977 and continue today – you can see the mothers and their supporters every Thursday afternoon in the plaza.

While in the plaza you can take a free tour of the Casa Rosada and visit the Bicentenary Museum. Also try out our affordable Buenos Aires walking tour, which covers downtown, the Plaza de Mayo and gives visitors a primer on using Buenos Aires’ Metro and Bus systems.

⇒ GetYourGuide also offers a Two-hour Walking Tour of May Square.

-Rosie Hilder

Haunted Buenos Aires: Ghost Stories of the City

Buenos Aires is a lively metropolis but it has a spooky side. Parts of the city were constructed on top of old burial grounds, soldiers died on the streets of San Telmo while fighting the English, torture occurred in secret prisons during the Dirty War, and a central tourist attraction is a VIP cemetery.

While Argentina’s capital city has plenty of ghost stories, Halloween is seen by many citizens as a holiday that embodies U.S. cultural imperialism – something to keep in mind for those considering trick or treating on All Hallows’ Eve.

In Argentina, October 31 is All Saints’ Eve. And while Mexico celebrates Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, on November 1st, here the day is known as All Saints’ Day, a solemn Catholic holiday. Traditionally, commemoration of the dead ends on November 2, Día de los Flores (Flowers Day), when families take flowers to graves of loved ones, although this once important occasion has fallen out of favor.

While a daylong early November outing to the graveyard may not very common in Buenos Aires anymore, some of the dearly departed insist on not being forgotten. Here’s a run-down of some of Buenos Aires’ most famous haunted locations:

Recoleta Cemetery
Junín 1790
Recoleta

Recoleta cemetery is the home to the remains of the country’s founding families, 26 Argentine presidents and of course, Eva Perón.

The grave of Rufina Cambaceres in Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina — The tomb of Rufina Cambaceres, the ‘girl who died twice.’

The most well-known Recoleta Cemetery ghost story dates to the early 20th century. It is the tragic case of 19-year-old socialite, Rufina Cambaceres who died suddenly while preparing to see a show at the Colón Theater. She was transported to the cemetery by horse-drawn carriage on a rainy day after her death in 1902. Due to the weather, workers left her casket in the cemetery’s chapel to be interred later.

The next day, a worker discovered the casket had been moved and the lid was out of place.

Suspecting a grave robbing, the family asked that the casket be opened. When the lid was lifted, Rufina still had her jewelry in place, but the inside of the casket had been scratched and Rufina’s extremities were bruised.

The horrible truth was then revealed: she had been buried alive and tried to scratch her way out of the casket in a panic. She had suffered an attack of cataplexy, which causes a comatose-like state, leading doctors to mistakenly believe she was dead. In fact she died in the casket of a heart attack, due to lack of air and panic.

Those who visit Rufina’s resting place will see that there is a life-size Art Nouveau statue of the young woman, with her hand on the door to her own mausoleum, a family tribute to ‘the girl who died twice.’

Chacarita Cemetery
Guzmán 680
Chacarita

Buenos Aires second most famous cemetery and its largest is National Cemetery, Chacarita. Founded in 1887 in response to the Yellow Fever epidemic, when trains full of corpses were brought here daily, the Chacarita Cemetery is far creepier than Recoleta’s, with overgrown grounds, abandoned catacombs, an abundance of cobwebs — all set to a soundtrack of leaves shuddering in the trees.

Here tango great Carlos Gardel rests, along with founder of the Argentine Air Force, Jorge Newbery and an array of less famous, but equally mortal immigrants and Argentines. The ghost stories associated with the cemetery include the hanged man in the tree, the phantom taxi driver with the license RIP 666, and ghostly apparitions of race car driver, Juan Manuel Fangio, who is also buried here.

This graveyard is so scary, they say if you dare to go here after midnight you may end up staying forever.

El obelisco during its construction in 1937 — The Obelisco in 1937 when safety regulations weren’t what they are today.

The Obelisk
9 de Julio & Corrientes
Downtown

The most emblematic landmark of Buenos Aires, El Obelisco, is said to be haunted by the spirit of a fallen worker. While the monument was in construction in the 1930’s it was struck by lighting, causing a worker to lose his footing and fall to his death. Porteño (Buenos Aires’ residents) believers say that on tempestuous nights you can still hear the scream of the worker falling to his death (or perhaps they are merely echoes of the near-daily protests here.)

Galerías Pacífico
Florida 737
Downtown

In 1990 when Galerías Pacífico was being remodeled into the beautiful shopping center that it is today, construction workers discovered 15 small cells, and names and slogans scratched into the walls. The workers informed their union leader who made an official appeal to the government asking for an investigation of the discovery. At that point city officials confirmed that during the Dirty War here functioned the ominous sounding Clandestine Center of Detention and Extermination (CCDE).

A judge ordered an inspection. According to La Mañana newspaper, the day the inspection was to take place, the basement got flooded with oil from the boilers, destroying the evidence. The same judge who ordered the inspection then dismissed it, saying there was no evidence to investigate, and the building’s remodel continued as before. Official pardons from then-president Carlos Menem ensured that no ex-officers who worked in the clandestine prison would face justice either.

With the evidence destroyed and the investigation dropped, the dark history of Galerías Pacífico never got much attention. The case reemerged in 1994 though, when Portuguese TV cameraman, Arturo Santana came to film a publicity spot for the shopping mall. He had previously testified that while working in Buenos Aires in 1976 he was hooded, handcuffed, kidnapped off the street and forced into a Ford Falcon (the favored car of the military regime) and taken to a dank basement somewhere downtown for five days. Although he tried to repress the memory, he recalled some details such as being incarcerated with a Spaniard, an Italian and an Argentine from Cordoba.

When he returned to Buenos Aires with his crew to film the mall, he took the escalator to the lower level at Galerías Pacífico and started to get a strange feeling. As he peered behind the camera he recognized distinct — and distantly familiar — tiles on the floor and suddenly became weak. It was the same place where he was detained in 1976 before being transported to another torture camp.

Others who were detained and later regained freedom: Miguel Lamotta, Miguel Ángel Prado and Juan Carlos Comínguez never knew where they were being held at the time either, since the modus operandus of the military was to blindfold detainees at the moment of their capture.

Santana told Pagina 12 that he wishes there was at least a plaque to acknowledge what happened here. He told the newspaper, “It’s an emblematic building where people stroll at ease, they eat, they drink, they laugh, that is, they enjoy a paradise of consumption when down there it was hell.”

The shopping center has no interest in highlighting this part of the beautiful building’s history but some say that at night in the basement of Galerías Pacíficos, when the crowds are gone, cold drafts will overtake visitors and they can feel the sad, heavy presence of those who were presumed to lose their life in the now-lively shopping mecca.

→ Read Haunted Buenos Aires Part II

→ Read about the Ghosts of the Buenos Aires Subway

Abasto Shopping — An Old-Time Market Turned Mall

Abasto, the huge art deco style complex in the neighborhood of the same name, is Buenos Aires largest shopping mall.

The mall’s distinguished façade along Corrientes Avenue features five huge leaded glass archways that are emblematic of the neighborhood, especially when lit in the evening. Inside, a huge atrium floods the building with natural light. The centralized mall features over 250 stores, a children’s museum, a small theme park, a food court, and a cinema with 12 screens.

The unique building was originally the site of Buenos Aires’ central vegetable market, inaugurated in 1893. It slowly grew outward as the population boomed, until the original structure was demolished in the 1930’s to make room for a larger building. The current art deco structure dates to 1934 and took three years to construct.

The building was designed by José Luis Delpini, Raul Bes and Slovenian-born architect, Viktor Sulčič — the same team that constructed Buenos Aires’ most famous stadium, La Bombonera in the La Boca neighborhood.

This was Buenos Aires’ golden age — the new market included all the latest amenities of the era including escalators, phone lines throughout the building and a connection with the underground subway.

A 1952 fire in the building burned for various days but thanks to the sturdy old-world construction, Abasto survived the blaze and Delpini was able to reform the damaged parts. A 1955 movie called Mercado de Abasto set in the mall highlights what a central place the market played in everyday life.

By 1984 Buenos Aires’ population had grown so much that housing the vegetable market in the center of the city became impractical due to the congestion the trucks caused bringing in produce in from the province. Abasto was shut down and the vegetable market was transferred to the Mercado Central in the Buenos Aires province, where it remains today.

Abasto’s Rebirth

To the dismay of residents, the one-time jewel of the neighborhood remained closed until the end of the 1990’s. During that time the neighborhood around Abasto became notorious for squats, prostitution, and drug use and was generally avoided by people who didn’t live there.

During Abasto’s nearly 15 years of hibernation, various proposals were thrown around to determine the building’s destiny while the neighborhood languished. One proposal included converting the market into an arts center similar to Paris’ Georges Pompidou Art Center. Finally in 1997, Hungarian-American billionaire, George Soros (who was also behind the restoration of Galerías Pacífico) purchased the building, and invested $2 million in its restoration.

The resurrection of Abasto as a shopping mall in 1998 instantly ushered in a new era to the blighted barrio, a more modest renaissance to that which took place in the waterfront restoration of Puerto Madero around the same time.

This mall has some decent shopping with international name brands such as Lacoste, Samsonite and Adidas and smaller national outlets. The movie theater is one of the city’s most comfortable and offers a range of films from Hollywood blockbusters to sentimental national productions.

The prices at many of the smaller stores tend to be more reasonable than those at other malls such as Galerías Pacífico, but a costlier than at the maze of street-side stores in the surrounding neighborhood, which carry similar merchandise.

Kosher Kids

Abasto is a mall designed with kids in mind. In addition to the celebrated Children’s Museum, there’s an arcade and a small indoor theme park with a Ferris wheel that spans all three floors.

The food court offers the usual parilla, pasta, pan-Asian offerings and claims fame to the only Kosher McDonald’s outside Israel, a hangout for the Orthodox fast food lovers among the neighborhood’s surrounding Jewish community.

One of the nice things about Abasto Mall is that thanks to its vastness and open construction, it never seems to get really crowded. Even at Christmas time when parents bring their kids here to see Santa Claus, things are quite relaxed.

Abasto Shopping Mall
Corrientes 3247
Abasto
Tel: 4959 3400
Free transport from hotels: 5777-6027

• Hours: 10:00 a.m.—10:00 p.m. everyday

Getting there:

–Buses: 29, 99, 71, 26, 146, 124, 168
–Subway: Station Carlos Gardel, Line B

• Underground parking
• If you spend over a certain amount in any store marked ‘duty free,’ ask for your receipt so you can get a refund on the taxes on your way out of the country.
• If you are staying in a hotel, call the mall for a free ride from your hotel to the mall. To be driven back to your hotel until 7:00 p.m., ask at the mall’s service stands.
• On Wednesday, movies are half price.

The Munich Brewery/Humor Museum of Buenos Aires

Puerto Madero’s Humor Museum (MUHU) celebrates everything to do with Argentine humor with exhibitions featuring graphic and political art, comic strips and animation, shown in their small cinema.

The permanent collection spans almost two centuries of Argentine humor beginning with a 1834 lithograph series by César Hipólito Bacle, ‘Costumes and Customs of Buenos Ayres,’ satirizing Porteño high-fashion of the time. Publications that relied heavily on humorous political cartoons blossomed in the later half of 19th century Buenos Aires.

Comedic illustrations from magazines during the administrations of Bartolomé Mitre and Domingo Faustino Sarmiento provide unusual insight into political opinions of upper-class Argentines at the time. Some of the most shocking illustrations show savages ‘barbecuing’ women and depict Afro-Argentines (before the population declined) as monkeys.

As literacy rose in the early 20th century, the modern weekly magazine flourished, the most famous being Caras y Caretas (Faces and Masks), Argentina’s answer to the New Yorker, published between 1898 and 1941.

The mid-20th century is considered ‘the golden age of national caricature’ according to MUHU. A particularly Porteño and sardonic sense of humor emerged with publications such as ‘Rico Tipo,‘ portraying stereotypical characters from Buenos Aires neighborhoods including ‘the marriageable girl,’ ‘the football fan,’ ‘the tanguero,‘ and Abel Ianiro’s character called ‘Purapinta‘ (Just for Show), a strapping man who proves useless in every situation.

In the later part of the 20th century, as the military came to power, Argentine humor became more naive and absurd. Among the most recognizable is Quino’s (Joaquín Salvador Lavado) Malfada, a comic strip about a rebellious little girl, which was published around the world in 30 languages. MUHU’s main temporary exhibit in 2014 was a retrospective of Quino’s work to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Argentina’s most iconic comic strip.

The Golden Years of the Münich Beer House

The Humor Museum is worth visiting as much for the building and its history as for the activity inside. The center is housed in the old Cervecería Munich, or Münich Beer House, dating to 1927. Constructed during the peak of German immigration to Buenos Aires, it was designed by Hungarian architect Andrés Kálnay, noted for designing some of the city’s other institutions, primarily, Luna Park stadium.

Amazingly — considering the construction methods available at the time — the detailed building was completed in four months. Aside from being considered an architectural triumph, the brewery was equipped to handle thirsty crowds, with a complex system of beer lines and the largest refrigeration unit in any business of Buenos Aires at the time.

The eclectic Bavarian-style building incorporates Art Deco influences and design touches that celebrate Munich folklore and the world of beer.

The mansion features ample terraces, surrounded by intricate carved columns, stone goats encasing the wide staircases and stained-glass windows depicting bucolic scenery, coats of arms and German beer maidens. Along the terrace walls there are stencils illustrating scenes of Oktoberfest, farmers, jokers and stout, German couples surrounded by beer barrels and horses. In the garden you can also view the fountains of Neptune and Naiades, created in the mid-1860’s, complimenting the nearby Water Nymphs’ Fountain near the entrance to the Ecological Reserve.

From its 1927 debut, the brewery was a popular gathering place among the Buenos Aires’ elite, particularly on a summer days and remained so during the next three decades.

In the daytime this was a popular spot thanks in part to its location near the Balneario Municipal Sur, a beachfront constructed nine years earlier on the banks of the River Plate, which was still clean enough to swim in at the time.

At night visitors would come to drink what was then considered a highly nutritious drink – strong, dark, German-style beer. Immigrants and hipsters of the day would gather to dance the waltz and hear the live music of musicians collectively known as the ‘The Artists of the Balneario.’

‘The Master,’ race car driver, Juan Manuel Fangio; journalist and politician, Leopoldo Lugones; and Swiss-born poet Alfonsina Storni were among the Cervecería Munich habitués.

Buenos Aires’ narrative even has it that the perpetual man on the town, tango great, Carlos Gardel once gave an impromptu performance at the brewery.

With the stark decline of the Costanera Sur through the years — before Puerto Madero’s revitalization in the 90’s — the Münich beer house finally closed in the 1970’s.

Some of the decorative statues seen around the museum today were resurrected from the muddy banks nearby where they laid like neglected tombs of Buenos Aires’ splendorous past.

With the new development in the area in the 1990’s, restoration of the beer house began. Telecommunication company, Entel briefly occupied the building before it was transformed into the Museum Center of Buenos Aires in 2002, and in 2012, the Humor Museum of Buenos Aires.

Guided afternoon tours are available in Spanish, English, Portuguese and Italian and can be arranged by calling the number below.

Humor Museum of Buenos Aires/Munich Brewery
Av. de los Italianos 851
Costanera Sur/Puerto Madero
Tel: 4516-0943/4/9

• Hours:
Mon-Wed: 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Sat&Sun: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Cost: Thur-Sun -$, other days free