Along the Riachuelo’s edge, in the vibrant La Boca neighborhood, stands Barraca Peña. It whispers tales of Argentina’s bustling past. Barraca Peña isn’t just a building. It’s a time capsule, a historical complex dating back to 1860. It’s a testament to a time when the Riachuelo pulsed with the lifeblood of global trade.
Barraca Peña started as a simple “barraca,” a storage site for sailors, soldiers, and merchants. Its story began in 1774, founded by the Galician merchant Francisco de la Peña Fernández. The name stuck, even as ownership later passed to the Bunge Lezica Peña family. The complex we see today began construction in 1863. It includes the El Triunfo warehouse, a wool barraca (Barraca Lanera), the Barraca Peña train station, and a drawbridge connecting the railway to the other side of the Riachuelo.
Barraca Peña witnessed the birth of modern Argentina, a nation forged by immigration, industry, and international trade. Captains and immigrants navigated the Riachuelo, their ships laden with goods. Amphorae from the Indies, silver, leather, tallow, jerky, wool, wood, cereals, meat, industrial products, and construction materials. All flowed through this vital artery, generating wealth and shaping the nation’s destiny.
Today, Barraca Peña serves a new purpose. It’s the repository and research center for Coastal and Underwater Archaeological Heritage of Buenos Aires. It houses the city’s 27 scientific archaeological collections. These collections originated from La Boca, Barracas, Puerto Madero, and Palermo. The remains of a Spanish merchant ship, excavated from Puerto Madero’s Dock 1 in 2009, now rest within Barraca Peña’s walls.
The location of Barraca Peña itself is steeped in history. Situated just eleven blocks from Caminito and three from Av. Patricios, its address is Av. Don Pedro de Mendoza 3003. The arrival of the railway transformed the Riachuelo into the heart of commercial activity. Barracas, like Barraca Peña, lined its banks, storing raw materials for export. The surviving buildings date back to 1860. They represent the booming wool production of the Pampas region under Emilio Vicente Bunge’s ownership. By 1900, the barraca boasted a staggering 200,000 square meters of storage space. It was managed by the Ferrocarril del Sud (Southern Railway).
The complex consists of an old warehouse, a shed for pressing and storing wool, and a masonry shed. This shed served multiple purposes over the years. It housed and fed port arrivals, managed administration, and stored wool, coal, and timber. The drawbridge across the Riachuelo and the Barraca Peña railway station complete the picture of this integrated rail-port system. As you stand before Barraca Peña, imagine the hustle and bustle of its heyday. Picture the workers, the trains, and the ships laden with goods, all contributing to Argentina’s growth. This site is more than just bricks and mortar. It’s a living testament to a pivotal era in Argentine history.