In the 1980’s, the Argentine Engineer Jorge Eckstein bought an abandoned house in San Telmo – in one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires  - with the intention of renovating it and turning it into  a restaurant. During the construction work, however he happened upon something that was to change his life: a small on-site landslide uncovered an old cistern and the rooftop of a mysterious network of tunnels. These were the beginnings of what today has become an incredible museum. A visit to El Zanjón ( The Ditch) should without a doubt, be on your list of things to do in Buenos Aires; a tour through parts of the city, which only very few have set foot in - below Buenos Aires. [caption id="attachment_6224" align="alignnone" width="640"]El Zanjon museum, a visit into Buenos Aires fascinating past! El Zanjon museum, a visit into Buenos Aires fascinating past! / source[/caption] After this initial archaeological discovery, a series of excavations began, which brought some light on the whole story: Below the piece of land where the Museum El Zanjón stands today, was were two underground streams met. So, the families that could afford it built tunnels to save the water from reaching the foundations of their houses.  The oldest find is from a house built in 1740, but the main construction is that of a mansion built in 1830, that used to be the home of a rich Spaniard. The house after being his family home for years was transformed into a tenement building, a shopping gallery, even a parking lot in more recent years. Beyond the building’s rich history, one of the most interesting aspects of the guided visit to El Zanjon is to discover the various curious facts about Buenos Aires. For example, the entire city’s ground level now is a meter above what it used to be or that the shores of the Rio de la Plata used to start a mere two blocks away from the building. [caption id="attachment_6226" align="alignnone" width="640"]The 500-foot network of tunnels took over 20 years to dig up. The 500-foot network of tunnels took over 20 years to dig up. / source[/caption] The anecdotes from the renovation process itself make the visit worthwhile.  To give you an idea: all the bricks of the buildings are original, but were initially erected with mud. While renovating every single brick was taken down and replaced using cement. Jorge Eckstein’s passion and dedication to the building’s restoration is evident in every detail throughout the building, for example the work put into the acoustics of the building, ensuring that the reverberations don’t affect the construction.

El Zanjon with a visit to the Casa Minima

Not long ago, Don Jorge (as he is affectionately known by his team) also began to restore another property, just across the street, where the famous Casa Minima stand, the building with the narrowest facade in Buenos Aires. Many tourists know the place and are intrigued to find out what the building is like on the inside – especially because of the intriguing amount of urban legends surrounding its construction. Well, the good news is that it is now possible to visit the Casa Minima, combined with a visit to El Zanjon. [caption id="attachment_6227" align="alignnone" width="640"]The famous Casa Minima, just across the street from El Zanjon. The famous Casa Minima, just across the street from El Zanjon. / source[/caption] It’s fascinating to enter in to this tiny house and discover that in actual fact, it is only a small part of a huge building, with an incredible history itself. But we won’t give it all away, as this tour is all about the surprise factor and we wouldn’t want to spoil it for you! Don’t miss out on this great mystery tour of Buenos Aires on your vacation in Argentina. For more tours and activities in Buenos Aires, have a look at our online catalogue at BsAs4U!