Flores (Spanish for "Flowers") is a

middle-class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...

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 delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...

'' or district in the center part of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

city,

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. Flores was considered a rural area of the

Province of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...

until 1888 when it was integrated into the city. Flores is the birthplace of

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

Limits

The limits of the neighborhood are marked by several streets and avenues: Portela, Cuenca, Av. Gaona, Av. Donato Álvarez, Curapaligüe, Av. Directorio, Av. Carabobo, Av. Castañares, Torres y Tenorio, Av. Riestra, Av. Perito Moreno, Av. Castañares, Lacarra, and Av. Luis J. Dellepiane.

History

Flores was mainly composed of country houses from the wealthy people of the City of Buenos Aires. Today, remains of those houses can still be found, including the house owned by

Juan Manuel de Rosas Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rozas y López de Osornio (30 March 1793 – 14 March 1877), nicknamed "Restorer of the Laws", was an Argentine politician and army officer who ruled Buenos Aires Province and briefly the Argentine Confedera ...

, the Governor of the Province around the 19th century. One of the most prominent of these early homeowners in Flores was the Marcó del Pont family, descendants of a former Spanish governor of Chile. Purchasing property facing the new railway station (one of Argentina's first), they had a comfortable yet understated

italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

property built in 1860. Relocating in 1929, the family sold the property and the estate fell into disrepair. Slated at one time for demolition, it eventually caught the attention of the San José de Flores Historical Society, who prevailed on the city to declare it a National Historic Monument, in 1976. Its fate is now secure, as the home became the Marcó del Pont Cultural Center. The neighbourhood's commercial areas are centered on the train station, Rivadavia Avenue, and the nearby parish church, Basílica de San José de Flores, dating from 1831 which has a romanticist architectural style. A fictitious

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

of the neighborhood was created by author Alejandro Dolina, centered on the grey angel of Flores. A famous tango song, ''San José de Flores'', centers on the sorrow of a man returning to the ''barrio'' after a long and tumultuous absence. The Pueyrredón theatre was a famous ballroom, where tango vocalist Edmundo Rivero gained fame in the 1930s and was also an oft-used venue by early Argentine rock bands such as Almendra. On 13 September 2011, a bus on a

level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, o ...

at Flores rail station was hit by a train traveling on the Sarmiento Line, operated by Trenes de Buenos Aires, heading for Moreno. The train derailed and crashed into a second train, standing at the station, bound for Once. The accident, which occurred during the morning rush hour, resulted in 11 deaths and 228 injuries. The bus, operated by Empresa de Transportes Microómnibus Sáenz Peña, was working a scheduled service on route 92, heading for Retiro. Video evidence revealed that the bus driver, who was killed in the accident, ignored warning lights and a partly lowered barrier at the crossing.

Notable locals

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, later known as

, was born and grew up in Flores, as did Roberto Arlt. Author Cesar Aira resides in Flores.

Images

File:Templo de Flores.JPG, Original temple, drawing by Carlos Pellegrini in 1840. File:Estadio_Pedro_Bidegain.jpg, Bidegain Stadium, home of the

San Lorenzo de Almagro Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro is an Argentine professional sports club based in the Boedo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its football team, which plays in the Primera División, the first tier of the Argentine foot ...

football team File:Estación Flores (10).JPG, Flores Railway Station, scene of the 2011 Flores rail crash File:Plaza Pueyrredón.jpg, Plaza Pueyrredón

References

External links

Flores Portal

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