La Boca!

This is probably one of the most famous areas of Buenos Aires - La Boca or 'The Mouth' in English is one of the most photographed areas of the city. It is famous for three things: Football, Tango and The Caminito - two streets of brightly painted houses next to Buenos Aires' original port. Although not the most desirable of neighbourhoods it has a certain charm that I have found lacking in other areas of the city.

The coloured houses constructed from the remains the many ships that used La Boca as an entrance to the city were painted in 1960 by Benito Quinquela Martín who wanted to create an artists mecca in what was, and still is, a very traditional, working class barrio. Although it is sadly becoming Argentina's answer to Disneyland, the streets still had a certain bohemian feel with tango dancers on street corners and artists selling their handiwork to the large crowds of tourists. I thought about enhancing the colours in the photograph but I decided that the faded and chipped paintwork perfectly reflects the sad transformation of an area that was once bursting with creativity.