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All Argentina Buenos Aires El Zanjón de Granados

El Zanjón de Granados

Museum housed in underground tunnels that date back to Buenos Aires's earliest settlements.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Added By
Nick Jackson
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In the courtyard.   Tanenhaus/CC BY-SA 2.0
In the courtyard.   Tanenhaus/CC BY-SA 2.0
Seashell mortaring.   Tanenhaus/CC BY-SA 2.0
Inside the museum.   Tanenhaus/CC BY-SA 2.0
Looking up through the grated floor.   alerie Hinojosa/CC BY-SA 2.0
Tile wall from the time when the house was used as a tenement   evilolive / Atlas Obscura User
Water reservoir   ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
Cistern for the house with original French tile floor, from 1830   evilolive / Atlas Obscura User
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About

A nearly 200-year-old mansion situated above a series of underground tunnels that date back to the Buenos Aires's earliest settlements, El Zanjón de Granados is now a museum that offers one-hour tours to visitors. Some parts of the structure, including a wall comprised of seashell mortaring, date back even further.

Rescued by amateur historian and Argentine chemical engineer Jorge Eckstein in 1985, the structure took 17 years to restore to its current condition. More than 130 truckloads of debris were unearthed from the structure's tunnels. In that debris, Eckstein discovered French tiles, African pipes, English china, and many other precious objects.

Displays in the museum are varied and include an old, underground slave cell and photographs of the area that date back to the 19th century.

Related Tags

Tunnels Museums And Collections Museums Architectural Oddities Repositories Of Knowledge Architecture Subterranean Sites

Community Contributors

Added By

nbj914

Edited By

ski queen, breaingram, aeyeduh, evilolive

  • ski queen
  • breaingram
  • aeyeduh
  • evilolive

Published

October 5, 2010

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Sources
  • New York Times: Travel Guides: Buenos Aires: El Zanjón de Granados: http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/central-and-south-america/argentina/buenos-aires/37089/el-zanjon-de-granados/attraction-detail.html
  • Travel + Leisure: El Zanjón de Granados: http://www.travelandleisure.com/activities/el-zanjon-de-granados
  • Time Out Buenos Aires: El Zanjón de Granados: http://www.timeout.com/buenos-aires/buenos-aires/venue/1%3A7800/el-zanjon-de-granados
El Zanjón de Granados
Defensa 755
Buenos Aires
Argentina
-34.616695, -58.371703
Visit Website
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