In Buenos Aires there is a large neighborhood at the mouth of the Rio Riachuelo called La Boca, which means "the Mouth." In the center of the area lies El Caminito, an area that is not to be missed. This neighborhood was orgininally a center for trade and a shipyard. Many Italian immigrants to Argentina were attracted to the river partially because they didn't have a lot of money and the land not particularly desireable due to its location. Many of the Italian immigrants worked on ships that plied the port, and they made and decorated their small homes out of materials discarded from the ships including leftover paint in bright primary colors which they used to paint their homes using several colors on one home due to the small amounts of paint they had. Therefore, one home could have a second floor painted a bright yellow, part of a first floor painted red with a blue roof and green doors and windows.
Modern Argentine artists recreated the unplanned color schemes of the early immigrants in the mid twentieth century along a street that became a closed pedestian area. Restaurants serving typical Italian food family style opened there attracting a lively nightlife. Foreign tourists discovered the area, and souvenir shops and outdoor markets selling curiosities followed.
Today the area that was built up around a small walking street (caminito in Spanish) has today stretched for blocks in all direction. Housing as it does many murals and humorous statues, it is a virtual free museum of folk art.
