Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
18 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
18 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
18 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
18 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
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
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
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
Tile wall from the time when the house was used as a tenement   evilolive / Atlas Obscura User
Cistern for the house with original French tile floor, from 1830   evilolive / Atlas Obscura User
Looking up through the grated floor.   alerie Hinojosa/CC BY-SA 2.0
Water reservoir   ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

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

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
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
Get Directions

Nearby Places

La Casa Mínima

Buenos Aires, Argentina

miles away

Mafalda Monument

Buenos Aires, Argentina

miles away

La Manzana de las Luces

Buenos Aires, Argentina

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Argentina

Places 26
Stories 2

Nearby Places

La Casa Mínima

Buenos Aires, Argentina

miles away

Mafalda Monument

Buenos Aires, Argentina

miles away

La Manzana de las Luces

Buenos Aires, Argentina

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Argentina

Places 26
Stories 2

Related Places

  • Entrance sign. (Wikimedia Commons)

    Mount Angel, Oregon

    Mount Angel Abbey Museum

    World's largest porcine hairball sits in a collection maintained by Benedictine monks.

  • Icon of St. George from the collection.

    Ordino, Andorra

    St. George Icon Museum

    Extensive Orthodox icon collection in Andorra.

  • Every winter, the museum and its many picture windows become encapsulated in romantic and terrifying drifts of snow

    Tokamachi, Japan

    Echigo-Matsunoyama Museum of Natural Science

    Modern Japanese museum is buried by snow annually.

  • Tower of Wind.

    Kawasaki, Japan

    Tower of Wind

    Curious onlookers have suspected this strange structure is a secret government base.

  • Lifesize model of Allosaurus with the museum in the backdrop.

    Colunga, Spain

    Jurassic Museum of Asturias

    A wonderful collection of fossilized dinosaurs and other creatures that roamed the landscape millions of years ago.

  • House, art gallery, and museum.

    Puerto Varas, Chile

    Pablo Fierro Museum

    This fairytale house on the shore of a Chilean Lake oozes an eclectic mix of Chilote and German Cultural heritage.

  • Catacombs of Washington, D.C.

    Washington, D.C.

    Catacombs of Washington, D.C.

    Franciscan monks created a facsimile of the Holy Land for North Americans who couldn’t afford the trip overseas.

  • The tunnel of books.

    Yangzhou Shi, China

    Yangzhou Zhongshuge

    Mirrored floors and arched shelves create the illusion of an infinite tunnel of books.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.