For a large part, but not only, inhabitated by immigrants, mainly Peruvians, Bolivians and Paraguayans, they are as marginalized as could be, although standards vary. Often lacking running water and electricity, from the outside there appear constructions, while on the inside people reside in provisional shacks of cardbord and tin, if anything at all.
Villa Bajo Flores' (1-11-14) reputation as home of rivalling Peruvian drug gangsters with all that implies of violence and abuse kept my man from going to San Lorenzo's home matches until he realized that everyone else coming from the match has the same problem. The solution was going with the crowd and hope that you went with the right one.. Getting lost and end up walking fifteen blocks alone through rough gangster territory after dark to catch transport is no fun. You are lucky to get back with half a sock..
The Retiro villas downtown are the second largest next to Bajo Flores, tucked under Autopista Illia, between Retiro railway station and the central bus station. Villas 31 and 31b stubbornly refuse to be reallocated by Mauricio Macri led city authorities.First established in the 30s, the settlement today are estimated to house around 25 000 people on a 25 hectares area. The mayority of the inhabitants are immigrants, with an average income of 700 Argentinian pesos a month, around US dollars 220, not a lot, even here.
Paved with earth and mud, the only asphalted area is the entrance. No sewer, the refuse go into wells emptied by cistern trucks. Villa 31 has low pressure running water, 31b get water distributed by water trucks.
Light is dangerously and provisionally distributed over dangerous and unauthorized electricity lines. The government now agree to project proper electricity and running water, maybe even telephone lines. We'll see..
Sunset over Villa 31. Soft light blurs reality's harshness.
Buenos Aires is defined by corners. This one of Calle 5 and 6 in Retiro..
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