Cities - The Real Buenos Aires 1 of 2 - BBC Travel Documentary, recorded 02.10.2010 To arrive in Buenos Aires is to find oneself somewhere at once deeply familiar and entirely new. Buenos Aires is sometimes called 'the Paris of the South' With its mix of old world charm and new world edginess, Buenos Aires has an electricity about it that is hard to describe, but impossible not to notice. Argentina began as a backwater of Spain's South American colonies but by the early 20th Century had risen to become one of the richest nations in the world. The expression 'rich as an Argentine' was bandied about in Europe, as boatloads of portenos landed on the continent - often with servants in tow - to do the grand tour. The city still lays claim to the title 'Paris of the South' and more than any other Latin American capital, Buenos Aires has traditionally looked to Europe - not just Spain, but France, England, Belgium and beyond. When the money from its rich farmlands poured into the coffers of the city's wealthiest families, they built Hausmannesque boulevards and slate-roofed mansions. Potent mix Many Argentines have their roots in Europe thanks to a push for immigration in the late 19th Century. In fact you'll hear as many Italian surnames here (Maradona being undoubtedly the most famous) as you will Spanish, with plenty of Swiss, German and Russian names mixed in. It's this potent mix of cultures that lends Buenos Aires its distinctly cosmopolitan feel. It's also this mongrel ...
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