Buenos Aires

The city of Buenos Aires has continued to grow in spite of economic disparity in some parts of the country. It attracts a good deal of foreign business and has grown to an economic rival of other South American powerhouses, such as Brazil. Buenos Aires' physical structure is a mosaic as varied and diverse as its culture. The city has no dominating monument, no natural monolith that serves as its focal point. Instead, Buenos Aires is composed of many small places, intimate details, and tiny events and interactions, each with a slightly different shade, shape, and character. Glass-sheathed skyscrapers cast their slender shadows on 19th century Victorian houses; tango bars hazed with the piquant tang of cigar smoke face dusty, treasure-filled antique shops across the way.

The city's neighborhoods are small and highly individualized each with its own characteristic colors and forms. In the San Telmo district, the city's multinational heritage is embodied in a varied and cosmopolitan architecture - Spanish Colonial design couples with Italian detailing and graceful French Classicism. La Boca's pressed tin houses are painted a rainbow of colors, and muralists have turned the district's side-streets into avenues of color.

For all its diversity, the elusive spirit of Argentina as a country is present everywhere in Buenos Aires. The national dance, the tango, is perhaps the best expression of that spirit--practiced in dance halls, parks, open plazas, and ballrooms; it is a dance of intimate separation and common rhythm, combining both an elegant reserve and an exuberant passion.
The city is divided into 48 barrios (neighborhoods) for administrative purposes. The division was originally based on Catholic parroquias (parishes), but has undergone a series of changes since the 1940s. A newer scheme has divided the city into 15 comunas (communes). Some of the most iconic and best-known barrios include La Boca, San Telmo, Recoleta, Palermo and Puerto Madero.
 
Area Map

 
Barrio Map

Prominent Neighborhoods
 
La Boca: La Boca is a neighborhood, or barrio of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It retains a strong European flavour, with many of its early settlers being from the Italian city of Genoa. In fact the name has a strong assonance with the genoese neighborhood of Boccadasse (or Bocadaze in genoese dialect), and some people believe that the Buenos Aires' barrio was indeed named after it. After a lengthy general strike, La Boca seceded from Argentina in 1882, and the rebels raised the Genoese flag, which was immediately torn down personally by then President Julio Argentino Roca. La Boca is a haven of radical politics and spawns many of the local youth gangs and members of the leftist parties in city government.
 
San Telmo: ("St. Pedro González Telmo") is one of the oldest barrios of Buenos Aires and also one of the best preserved areas of that constantly changing Argentine metropolis, with a number of colonial houses and streets still paved with the original cobblestones (adoquines). San Telmo's many attractions include many old churches (e.g. San Pedro Telmo), museums, antique stores and a semi-permanent antique fair (Feria de Antiguedades) in the main public square, Plaza Dorrego. Tango-related activities for both locals and tourists also abound in the area. The area has been modernized some and many shops that cater to the high tech crowd have sprouted up in certain parts of the neighborhood.
 
Recoleta: Is a historic area, much frequented by tourists and the city's residents for its cafés, galleries and the famous Recoleta cemetery. It is the only barrio in the administrative division Comuna 2. Recoleta is part of the area known as Barrio Norte, together with the neighboring barrios of Retiro, Palermo and the northern part of Balvanera. Like its neighbors, Recoleta is an affluent residential district, initially populated by citizens escaping the 1871 yellow fever epidemic. Recoleta is one of the most expensive places to live in Buenos Aires, both in terms of real estate and of the cost of living. Even dying here is costly, as mausolea in the Recoleta cemetery cost thousands of dollars each. It is one of the major areas inhabited by European corporates who have either moved to Argentina for business or are retiring here. Modern amenities have been placed everywhere but are elaborately hidden behind aesthetics, these include DataTerms and scrolling telescreens and net-jacking booths, often very cheap to use.
 
Palermo: is a neighborhood, or barrio of Buenos Aires. It is located in the northeast of the city, bordering the barrios of Belgrano to the north, Almagro and Recoleta to the south, Villa Crespo and Colegiales to the west and the Río de la Plata river to the east. With a total area of 17.4 km², Palermo is the largest neighborhood in Buenos Aires. It is the only barrio within the administrative division of Comuna 14. It is so large that it is further divided into subsections within the neighborhood…


Alto Palermo and Villa Freud
Alto Palermo is downtown Palermo, the main shopping area and transport hub around Avenida Santa Fe. At its core is the Alto Palermo Shopping Centre, a large shopping mall. Villa Freud, based around Plaza Güemes, is a residential area known for its high concentration of psychoanalysts and psychiatrists, hence its name. These people provide some of the best mental health care outside of European cyberclinics for those who’ve suffered the effects of cyberpsychosis. Their prices are cheaper than their European counterparts. It is rumored that the cyberclinics in the area which are maintained by European corporations, test experimental technology on those who receive cybernetic enhancement here.

Palermo Viejo
Palermo Viejo (Old Palermo) is, as its name implies, the oldest part. Bounded by Avenida Santa Fe, Avenida Coronel Díaz, Avenida Córdoba and Carranza Street, the neighborhood is centered on Plaza Palermo Viejo and reflects an older Spanish style in architecture, often "recycled" with modern elements. Such well-known figures as Jorge Luis Borges and Che Guevara once lived in this ward and indeed Borges first wrote poetry in the then quiet barrio. The Borges's poem "Fundacion mitica de Buenos Aires" names a typical square (Guatemala, Serrano, Paraguay, Gurruchaga). It was historically a residential area, popular with communities from Poland, Armenia, Ukraine and Lebanon and old Spanish and Italian families, whose traditions are reflected in local restaurants, churches, schools and cultural centers. It is a haven for left wing revolutionaries and unfortunately suffers a reputation as a crime ridden area, heavy with prostitution rings and designer drug manufacturers.
Palermo Soho
Palermo Soho is a small area of Palermo Viejo around Plaza Serrano (officially Plazoleta Cortázar), and it is a newly fashionable area for fashion, design, restaurants, bars and street culture. The atmosphere in many cafés and restaurants strives to be alternative, which makes this area of the city especially popular with young, upper-middle class Argentines as well as foreign tourists. The traditional low houses have been adapted into boutiques and bars, creating a bohemian feel. The square has a crafts fair.
Palermo Chico and Barrio Parque
Across Figueroa Alcorta Avenue, between San Martín de Tours and Tagle streets, Palermo Chico ("Small" or "Exclusive" Palermo) is the most upmarket part of Palermo. The Buenos Aires Museum of Decorative Arts is located in Palermo Chico, in a dazzling old palatial home. Neighbouring Barrio Parque is strictly a residential area, laid out in winding streets by Charles Thays; many of the wealthy and famous own homes there. Once a quarter full of splendid mansions set in broad private parks, many luxury condominiums and apartment houses are now to be seen. MALBA, the Museum of Latin American Art in Buenos Aires, is located between Barrio Parque and the Paseo Alcorta shopping centre.
Las Cañitas
Las Cañitas has historically been a slum area which has grown as immigrants from neighboring countries come to Buenos Aires to try and make a living, many live with family while waiting for their work-papers to process (if ever). At night it is filled with gangs and crime. The bordering area is fenced off and patrolled by Buenos Aires police who monitor checkpoints in and out.

 

Tourism: European tourists flock across the “big pond” to come to Buenos Aires at the same rate and demand as Argentineans look to get work permits in Europe. Many Europeans find themselves at home, but with a lot laxer restrictions when it comes to drugs, sex, and gun ownership. One of the world's finest opera houses, the Teatro Colon, flourishes here on the plains alongside the river. It is a major attraction for business men on vacation or those with money seeking a good time.

Major Players in Buenos Aires

Leftist Youth Gangs – Divided among the recruitment wing of the RCU and the Liberazione Della Gente, leftist gangs perform a variety of pranks and vandalism against the establishment and are heavily tied into the European punk scene. Although the Liberazione Della Gente (People’s Liberation), operate more violently and even take to bomb threats and terrorist tactics. The LDG operate out of La Boca barrio and have been accused of being no more than organized criminals. The LDG wishes to legalize drugs in Argentina and have radical stances on many things from sex to cyberware. The LDG’s current leader is Alberto De Luca, a 33 year old ex-soldier who trained Chilean guerillas as part of the Argentinean intelligence services in guerilla tactics during the SouthAm war. Many opponents of the LDG accuse Alberto of gaining allies in the U.S. Army Intelligence service. They cite the failure of his guerilla units and his mysterious release after being captured for 2 months by the Americans.

Triple A – A Right-Wing death squad integrated into the Buenos Aires Police department that has financial ties to the Justicialist Party, its goals initially were to be a force that could fight the Cartels on even grounds, but it has turned more towards political assassination and attacks against pro-immigrant groups in the city. The group takes its name from a group during the 1970s Peron government of the same name. The death squad is primarily made up of law enforcement officials, military, or government, either still in the service or retired. They have expanded into some mercenary activities for big Corporations, usually involving intimidation, extraction, or assassination.  The leader is a retired Police Chief of Buenos Aires, named Luis Gordon.

Chechen Mafia –The Chechen mafia presence in Argentina has been linked primarily to the use of Argentina as a transit country for Andean cocaine shipments to Europe in fishing treaters and cargo ships, arms trafficking to Brazil and Colombia, and money laundering. In the so-called "tri-border" area between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay - which is home to a sizable Arab Muslim population - Argentine intelligence sources have detected contacts between Chechen separatist groups and "Islamic terrorists" and suspect Chechen use of these networks for arms smuggling purposes. The Chechen mob in Buenos Aires is part of the “Old World Exchange,” a trade by South American criminal organizations of cocaine for European designer drugs. Additionally, the Chechen mob participates in white slavery and meat puppet rings, selling sex slaves to corporates with the money. The current boss of the Chechen mafia is the notorious gangster and ex-KGB man, Nikolay Dudayev.

Major Corporate Players in Buenos Aires

Euro Business Machines (EBM) – has invested a lot of money in the Recoleta barrio, and has drawn up plans for a large regional office. It loans out money to small business in Argentina in order to bring them up to date and modernized, before selling their shares on the open market.

Raven Microcybernetics – Operating mostly in the Alto Palermo area, Raven maintains cyberclinics in many parts of Buenos Aires.

WorldSat Communications Network - WorldSat does not maintain an official regional office, but its services are widespread among corporations in Buenos Aires and it has a communications contract from Argentina’s military.

(Written by Joe "Citizen X" Klemann : Some Information is taken from the CIA Worldfactbook, Wikipedia, Geographia.com, and Cyberpunk 2020.)