Pichincha is a ''

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...

'' (small district or neighbourhood) in the city of

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...

, . It is located on the north-east part of the central area of the city, and its limits are Ovidio Lagos Avenue (former La Plata Avenue), Francia Avenue (former Timbúes Boulevard), Rivadavia Avenue, and Salta St. The assembling of this ''barrio'' was motivated by the growth of the

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

lines and the activity at the port due to agricultural

export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an ...

s, in the 19th century. The most important point in the neighbourhood was the Sunchales

train station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing suc ...

(now Rosario Norte), which marked the border between the populated urbanization and the developing suburbia. The station was also a tramway terminal. The main street in the ''barrio'' was Pichincha St., named after a battle in the

Ecuadorian War of Independence The Ecuadorian War of Independence was fought from 1820 to 1822 between several South American armies and Spain over control of the lands of the Royal Audience of Quito, a Spanish colonial administrative jurisdiction from which would eventually ...

. This name was then changed to Ricchieri (after General

Pablo Ricchieri Pablo Riccheri (August 8, 1859 – July 29, 1936) was an Argentine army officer and minister of war during the second administration of president Julio Roca. Life and times Riccheri was born in San Lorenzo, Santa Fe to Catalina Ciufardi and Lazz ...

, a Minister of War of late 19th century). At the beginning of the 2000s, the municipal government revised history and rolled back the change, although the name Ricchieri still appears in most street signs as of

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

Demographic Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...

growth of the city favoured the establishment of

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

s. Since many of them were illegal, the municipality tried to control and set up a specific zone for them. Pichincha then became a kind of

red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are particu ...

. In time, the Argentine railway system declined and the activity and attraction of the ''barrio'' diminished. In the first years of the 21st century, Pichincha started to recover, based on initiatives of its neighbours supported by the government. Since then, the ''barrio'' features a culture centre and several high-profile bars and restaurants, which take advantage of the ''retro'' appeal of the neighbourhood. The old structures have been preserved or restored. The municipality has encouraged this trend further, for example by employing old-fashioned street lampposts instead of modern lighting along Rivadavia Avenue. Since

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

the Culture Secretariat of Rosario has a seat in the former Rosario Norte station. Each Sunday, Rivadavia Avenue is cut to host a Retro Fair (''Feria Retro "La Huella"'') where kiosks offer antiques and there are open-air

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 ...

and

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

performances, open radio,

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...

shows and others. The ''barrio'' also has a number of modern bars and discos.

External links

Rosario Freak
Photo gallery of Rosario and surroundings. Includes a dictionary of Rosarigasino, and other amusing notes.
Barrio Pichincha
Web site about this neighborhood {{coord missing, Argentina Pichincha