| Lying
just inside the boundary of Capital Federal, Mataderos is a barrio
with a gory past. For many years, in the belief that it would cure
illnesses such as tuberculosis, people would come here to drink the fresh
blood of animals killed in the slaughterhouses from which the area takes
its name. The slaughterhouses have gone, but Mataderos is still home to
the Mercado Nacional de Hacienda, a livestock market whose faded
pink walls provide the atmospheric backdrop for one of Buenos Aires’
most fabulous events - the Feria de Mataderos (Lisandro de la Torre
and Avenida de los Corrales Sun from 11am; buses #36, #92 & #126). |
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| Folklore,
crafts and traditional food such as empanadas and locro (a
stew made with corn) are all part of the recipe, but the undoubted
highpoint is the display of gaucho (Argentinian cowboy) skills.
Riders participate in events such as the sortija in which,
galloping at breakneck speed and standing rigid in their stirrups they
attempt to spear a small ring strung on a ribbon - which, in terms of
difficulty, must be somewhat akin to a passing a camel through the eye of
a needle. Don’t miss the chance to visit traditional restaurants such as
La Buseca (under the recova in Lisandro de la Torre) where,
if you’re lucky, you’ll come across musicians participating in payadas
(improvised musical dialogue). |