Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires - darkometer rating : 3 - The capital city of Argentina and one of Latin America's mega-metropolises (with some 12 million inhabitants) and main cultural hubs. It's been nicknamed the Paris of South America, primarily for its grand architecture and cultural life, though today it is more faded and grittier than its French counterpart. There is also quite a lot to see for the dark tourist. > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos What there is to see: The main focus for a dark tourist in Buenos Aires (BsAs, for short) will most likely be sites associated with Argentina 's "Dirty War" of the late 1970s and early 1980s military dictatorship. Two of these, both in rather far out locations, are given separate entries here, as are one exceptionally "gothic-romantic" famous cemetery and a prison museum: - Parque de la Memoria - ESMA - Recoleta cemetery - Museo Penitenciario Argentino In addition, there are several further sites associated with the dark chapter in Argentine history under the military dictatorship, in particular some of the various clandestine detention and torture centres of the period, often located in car repair garages (providing camouflage), such as the infamous Garage Olimpo (as in the feature film of the same name, also released in the many parts of the world under the alternate title "Junta" – recommended viewing!). Several of these sites have been turned into memorial spaces under the aegis of the organization Espacio Memoria . If your Spanish is up to it you can explore (some of) these independently – see www.institutomemoria.org.ar for more detailed information.