Plaza Dorrego ( es, Dorrego Square) is a square located in the heart of

San Telmo San Telmo ("Saint Pedro González Telmo") is the oldest ''barrio'' (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis and is characterized by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlors and antiqu ...

, in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. In the 19th century, San Telmo was the main residential barrio (neighbourhood) of the city and Plaza Dorrego was its focal point. In the past it was referred to as ''Hueco del Alto'' or ''Alto de la carretas'' as it was the place where wagons would stop before crossing the ''Tercero del Sur'' stream (today called ''Pasaje San Lorenzo'') on their way downtown. The name had been ''Alto de San Pedro'' and later changed to ''Plaza del Comercio'' in 1822. In 1905, the name was changed once again to its current form. The buildings located in the square maintain its original design thanks to the help of the ''Comisión del Museo de la Ciudad''. Currently, its surroundings are full of

cafe A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...

s, bars and pubs, which fill the square with tables from those shops. There are also several antique stores. Musicians and dancers particularly

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

exhibitions are seen, like the Argentine tango. The

Feria de San Telmo Feria de San Telmo ( es, San Telmo Fair) is an antique fair that takes place in the barrio (neighbourhood) of San Telmo, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was created in 1970 by architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees ...

(San Telmo Fair), mainly of antiques, runs every Sunday. Plaza Dorrego is located at the intersection of ''Humberto Primero'' and ''Defensa'' streets. Along with

La Boca La Boca (; "the Mouth", probably of the Matanza River) is a neighborhood (''barrio'') of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. It retains a strong Italian flavour, many of its early settlers having originated in the city of Genoa. Geography L ...

, Recoleta,

Florida Street Florida Street ( es, Calle Florida) is a popular shopping street in Downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina. A pedestrian street since 1971, some stretches have been pedestrianized since 1913. The pedestrian section as such starts at the intersection ...

, and others, the Plaza Dorrego is one of the main tourist attractions of Buenos Aires.buenosaires.gov.ar
"Plaza Dorrego"

Gallery

File:San Telmo Plaza Dorrego.JPG, Sunday afternoon

at Plaza Dorrego Image:Buenos Aires-Feria-Sifones.jpg, Antiques Fair at the plaza

References

{{coord, 34, 37, 14, S, 58, 22, 18, W, display=title Dorrego Tourist attractions in Buenos Aires