Housing in Buenos Aires 1887-1914

Abstract

We are not as much masters in building our homes, say, as we would care to be. People do not like to do things in any other way than their forefathers, until other people step in to disturb their traditions. (Sarmiento) The houses of the city, which in 1650 numbered no more than four hundred, were roofed, some tiled and others thatched, but all so squat that they rose no higher than four from the ground and their eaves were so elongated that both the thatch and the beams extended to the middle of the road, obstructing the movement of vehicles and horsemen which, perforce, had to use this means of access. Here and there, and particularly at the corners, the road was so boggy that it was no small matter to extricate the heavy carts once they had capsized or their hubs had become embedded.'