09.00-13.00 Decolonial Recoleta + Retiro Walking Tour - Includes visit to unique Recoleta Cemetery

Join us on a captivating journey to discover the upscale neighborhoods of Recoleta and Retiro, where Argentina’s French-obsessed elites once resided. This area, built in the late 1800s, boasts stunning 60-room French-style mansions, leafy avenues, designer shops, and dramatic churches.

Throughout the tour, we’ll weave in a decolonial perspective with a strong focus on Black history, uncovering the stories that traditional narratives omit. You’ll learn about the labor and lives behind the opulence, and how colonial legacies shaped the city’s architecture, wealth, and social hierarchies.

One of the highlights of this tour is the Recoleta Cemetery, the last resting place of the city’s aristocracy and would-be socialites. Here, you’ll find thousands of exquisite mausoleums of Argentina’s presidents, artists, and historical figures, including the famed first lady, Evita Perón. As we walk, we’ll also examine who is absent from these spaces—and why, and how to unravel this maze of mausoleums to find hidden stories of the Afro and indigenous communities.

Our expert guides will lead you through San Martín Square, where you’ll see the Anchorena Palace, Basilica of the Holy Sacrament, stroll down Arroyo Street, and explore Alvear Avenue, home to Argentina’s finest palaces. Along the way, we’ll highlight overlooked Afro-Argentine contributions to the city’s cultural development, military history, and urban life.

Learn about the golden age of Argentina, San Martín and his Liberation Campaigns, Evita Perón and Peronism, stories of love and revenge that echo through time, and the quirks and habits of local porteños—and delve deeper into how these histories intersect with empire, migration, and racialized narratives.
Join us on this unforgettable journey to explore the cultural richness, historic significance, and hidden Black histories of Buenos Aires’ most upscale neighborhoods through a truly decolonial lens.