The la boca community

We have spent our days walking through several different neighborhoods in the sprawling city of Buenos Aires, one of which was La Boca. The vibrant colors along Caminito are what immediately catches your eye, but I am so grateful that we had a local tour guide to tell us about the stories behind those colors.

La Boca is a neighborhood built by hard working immigrants who continue to be proud of their heritage, fiercely loyal to each other, and fueled by creativity. But what struck me the most is how much they value community — and work together as a community — to achieve their shared goals and improve their quality of life. From relentlessly imploring the government to clean their drinking water (which is remains an issue), to petitioning UNESCO to declare their transporter bridge a heritage site, to working together to paint a colorful, open air performing arts arena that was the birthplace of tango, to negotiating the construction of the La Boca Juniors stadium to best meet the needs of their neighborhood, the people of La Boca are a true case study in “community.” 

I was so glad to see the magic of their community for just an afternoon.