La Plata

La Plata serves as the capital of Buenos Aires Province and spreads across a rectangular street grid cut by diagonal boulevards that create regular squares. The city includes several large parks and wooded areas inserted between the built-up blocks, serving as green lungs within the geometric layout.

The city was founded in 1882 as the new provincial capital after Buenos Aires became a federal district. Within a few years, the main administrative buildings, museums, and the university were built, shaping the urban character quickly.

Residents gather in the parks and squares throughout the afternoon, often sharing mate in groups or with family. Students shape the rhythm of daily life, especially near the university campuses, where bookshops and cafés line the streets and stay open late into the evening.

Regular train services and several bus lines connect the city to Buenos Aires, with journeys taking about an hour depending on the time of day. The wide avenues and geometric street plan make orientation easier, especially if you use the diagonals as reference points.

The city introduced electric street lighting in 1884, making it the first in all of Latin America to use this infrastructure. The arrangement of streets follows a strict plan, with every sixth street forming an avenida and the diagonals crossing the main axes every 600 meters (about 2,000 feet).