Discover Buenos Aires’ Secret Tunnels

Photo: Agustina Magnaterra/Wikimedia Commons

In 1985, a man named Jorge Eckstein decided he wanted to open a new restaurant in his city, Buenos Aires. A short while afterward, he was able to purchase an abandoned mansion in the San Telmo neighborhood, which he planned to renovate.

Shortly after Mr. Eckstien started renovating the place, he found something strange. The patio was sinking. This was the lead to one of the Argentine capital’s most amazing archaeological sites.

A team of archaeologists arrived at the scene to try to understand the history of the mansion. They found out it was abandoned by its original occupants in the latter part of the 1800s, when they fled the city from a deadly wave of yellow fever.

Photo: Jasyluna/Wikimedia Commons

Digging deeper, the archaeologists discovered a long system of tunnels—almost 2km of passages. A later study suggested these tunnels were dug around 1780 to reroute a stream of flood water, which brought dirty water to the city when it heavily rained.  

Today the El Zanjón de Granados tunnels are open for visitors, where you can learn more about the amazing architectural and historical story of these old inventions.

Address: Defensa 755, C1065 AAM, Buenos Aires
Opening hours: Guided tours on Monday to Friday at 12pm, 2pm and 3pm