Our fourth day in Buenos Aires began with a guided bus tour around various parts of the city, giving us a chance to see some of its landmarks and neighborhoods. We got to see some pretty cool sites such as the colorful houses in La Boca, the Pink House, and some very beautiful churches. The vibrant colors in La Boca made the area very lively and it was intriguing as I’ve never seen anything like it before. I also had visited a lot of churches in Italy last year, so it was cool to be able to compare and contrast the architecture and design. From what I saw, I thought there was definitely some Italian influence, and I noticed elements from other European cultures as well. After that, we went on a graffiti tour through Palermo and some other surrounding areas. It was very interesting to see how culture and emotion is shown throughout the art, and the various different styles used by artists.
By learning more about Argentina’s history throughout the day, I was able to notice both similarities and differences compared to the history of the United States. Like the U.S., Argentina is a country that has been greatly shaped by colonization, immigration, and the combination of many cultures over time. Both nations experienced large amounts of European immigration which has helped influence the language, architecture, cuisine, and overall culture. On the other hand, one major difference I noticed between Argentina and the U.S. is the role religion has played historically. Argentina has a strong Catholic foundation, and the influence of that is still very evident in many aspects of their culture. In contrast, the U.S. was founded on the idea of separating church and state, so while religion has definitely still shaped parts of American culture, it doesn’t have the same official role or influence in public life as it does in Argentina.
