Like all neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, Abasto has a unique and profoundly complex history. Today, when most people think of Abasto, they think of the iconic Abasto Shopping Mall and the legendary tango singer Carlos Gardel. The neighborhood charms visitors with its technicolor houses and vibrant murals under the looming Art Deco architecture of the former central market.
Yet, a deeper look into the neighborhood’s roots reveals dark, compelling stories that profoundly informed what we now celebrate as Argentine culture, from the melancholy poetry of tango to the resilience of its immigrant communities.
Ready to explore these layers of history in person? Mente Argentina offers deep cultural immersion experiences for Study Abroad students.
The Abasto’s Beginnings: Immigration and Vice
The area informally known as Abasto is the north-western portion of the barrio of Balvanera, strategically sitting along Av. Rivadavia. Initially on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Abasto became a melting pot, receiving a high concentration of Jewish and other Eastern European immigrants.
By the start of the 20th century, the neighborhood was known for its concentration of brothels, particularly around Junín y Lavalle. This was a time when prostitution was municipally regulated in Buenos Aires (1875–1936). Combined with a severe gender imbalance—in 1914 there were 100,000 more men than women in Argentina—the area became ripe for exploitation, leading to rampant human trafficking.
This environment allowed the Zwi Migdal (a Jewish organized-crime group founded in Poland) to thrive. They lured women from impoverished regions overseas with false promises of housekeeping work, often tricking them into binding marriages (shtille chupah) to enforce sexual slavery upon arrival in Argentina.
The Dark Birth of Tango: Almitas Torturadas
The high demand for sex work and the subsequent isolation of marginalized women in Abasto profoundly shaped the culture that was brewing in the neighborhood’s back alleys: Tango.
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Tango’s Roots: While the origins of tango are complex, it was certainly present in the late 1800s. Due to the scarcity of women, immigrants initially danced tango with one another (two men) or with prostitutes. This history cemented the dance’s reputation as low-class, ensuring no “respectable” woman would be seen dancing it.
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A “Vertical Expression of a Horizontal Desire”: Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges famously claimed that Abasto is where tango developed its sexual undertones. The lyrics from this period, made famous by local icons like Carlos Gardel, serve as somber time capsules.
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The Machismo Lens: Tango lyrics of the 1920s and 1930s often reveal intense machismo and discomfort with changing female roles. Lyrics were sexually violent or highly misogynistic, reflecting the male perception of women as sex slaves or emotionally weak objects, as seen in Horacio Petrossi’s “Esclavas Blancas.”
“Almitas torturadas, pobres esclavas blancas del tango y la milonga…” (Little tortured souls, poor white slaves of tango and milonga…)
These lyrics capture the melancholic and misogynistic views prevalent at the time, leaving the complex perspective of the women themselves largely untold.
Raquel Liberman: The Heroine Who Fought the Mafia
As the notoriety of the Zwi Migdal spread, the local Jewish community began to push back, refusing the gangsters’ “dirty money” and banning them from synagogues. This atmosphere of resistance set the stage for one of Argentina’s most enduring figures of resilience: Raquel Liberman.
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From Victim to Activist: Born in Ukraine, Raquel immigrated to Argentina and was forced into a life of prostitution. However, she managed to save enough money to buy her freedom and open an antique shop. When her procurers violently forced her back into sex slavery (even staging a fake wedding to ensure her submission), Raquel had had enough.
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Dismantling the Zwi Migdal: Confiding in an incorruptible official, Raquel provided key testimony against the Zwi Migdal. Her bravery, supported by an increasingly aware community, led to the dismantling of the organized crime group in Buenos Aires.
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The Legacy: Prostitution was officially banned in Argentina in 1935, marking the end of a dark era informed by the Zwi Migdal’s decades of operation. Raquel Liberman’s grave is now a site of pilgrimage for women seeking justice, and she is recognized as a national hero.
This somber but dynamic history reveals a far more complex picture of how tango, immigration, and resistance intertwined to create the unique cultural fabric we enjoy today in Abasto.
Dive deeper into Argentine history and culture with a Mente Argentina Study Abroad experience!
