It was the city's first Little Italy, the main point of entry for Italians at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, giving the neighborhood the distinct flavor it still maintains. La Boca is most famous for giving birth to tango in the bordellos, known as quilombos, that once served this largely male population.
The focus of La Boca is the Caminito , a pedestrian walkway, named ironically after a tango song about a rural village. The walkway is lined with humorously sculpted statues and murals explaining its history.
Surrounding the cobblestone street are corrugated metal houses painted a hodgepodge of colors, recalling a time when the poor locals decorated with whatever paint was left over from ship maintenance in the harbor. Today, many artists live or set up their studios in these houses.
Along the Caminito, art and souvenir vendors work side by side with tango performers. La Boca is, however, a victim of its own success, and it has become an obscene tourist trap.
While the area is historically important, most of what you will find along the Caminito is overpriced souvenir and T-shirt shops and constant harassment from people trying to hand you fliers for mediocre restaurants.
