It seemed simple enough to get to San Antonio de Areco from La Plata, a relatively easy journey of 150 kilometres or so by bus in 2-3 hours from La Plata. In a country with so many cities a 20-40 hour bus trip from the capital, this is short.  What we didn’t realise, until it was too late, is that our bus wasn’t going directly but instead made lots of stops not only between La Plata and Buenos Aires but in the south and west of the capital, in dead end places that I’d never heard of and that no-one in their right mind would go to. It was like a never ending excursion through the drabbest and dreariest that Buenos Aires has to offer.

But when, nearly five and a half hours later, we arrived in San Antonio de Areco, the destination was worth it.  After suffering through a mini heatwave in La Plata, it was wonderful to feel the fresher air of the country (the arrival of a cold front had helped too).  I don’t like towns and cities much (the only city I’ve visited that I think I could live in for any length of time is New York City), I like open spaces, trees, mountains, nature and fresh air. I like the slower pace of life, and to slip into the rhythm of the days from morning until evening. I like the smell of rain in the summer. I like to hear the birds singing, to walk in streets without traffic, and to eat my breakfast outside where I can smell the grass and trees.

We walked from the bus terminal to the centre of the town and soon found a hotel to stay in. San Antonio de Areco is known for it’s colonial buildings, and has a large central plaza lined with trees. A pretty little church faces one side of the plaza and there is an inviting bar on the corner with tables and chairs outside in the shade of the trees.

I think the plazas that nearly every Argentinian town, city and village seems to have are an excellent idea. During the day they are peaceful and shady, and in the evening they become a focal point where people can walk, relax and socialise.

San Antonio de Areco is also known for it’s pulperías and boliches, picturesque bars maintained in a colonial style by the owners. The pulperías and boliches in the town are genuinely old, not modern creations nostalgicly imitating times past. There’s a subtle difference between the two. Pulperías are where people go to have a drink, are found only in the country and attract an older clientele. In boliches it’s also possible to eat and to dance and they attract younger people.

The town is also famous for it’s gauchos – the Argentinian cowboys famed for their horsemanship, hard work and love of the countryside. It’s a powerful, romantic image, attractive I think because of their strong sense of identity and purpose in a celebrity obsessed and possession orientated culture.

Every Friday afternoon, a group of gauchos attend a fogón by the river that runs through the north end of the town.  A fogón is a meeting, a time and a place where the gauchos can relax and chat with each other, have lunch and a drink and play taba (a traditional game). San Antonio de Areco is a popular tourist destination in Argentina, and this particular fogón is organised for the benefit of the tourists that come here. A local restaurant supplies the meat for the asado (Argentinian barbecue), and the gauchos are happy to chat with and be photographed by anyone that comes along. They were a very friendly bunch of people and most of them belonged to the same family.

In the evenings we wandered around the town, ate in colonial style restaurants, and I enjoyed myself taking photos of the old buildings illuminated by artificial light as night fell. In the mornings we woke late and ate breakfast outside, in the fresh air, near the river where we could smell the grass and the trees, just how I like it.

A gaucho in traditional dress, eating at the fogón.

A gaucho stirs the fire for the asado (barbecue) while his companions play taba in the background.

Close up of a gaucho, showing elements of his traditional dress including leather boots, the riestra  (a belt covered with coins) and bombachas (loose fitting trousers). 

A stirrup on one of the horses.

Another portrait of a gaucho showing the traditional dress. This photo is available to purchase as a Fine Art Print (or greetings cards) exclusively through Imagekind.

Los Principios - an almacen (grocery store) and bar. One of the oldest in San Antonio de Areco, it has been in this building since 1920.

 Los Principios Almacen and Bar - this time showing the bar area.

The Boliche de Bessonart at night. I mounted the camera on a tripod and used a slow shutter speed to create this photo. The lights of passing cars are recorded as red trails in the photo.

The photos are copyright © Andrew Gibson. Please contact me for permission to use in any way. The photos are available for licensing under a Rights Managed license.