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"Nacida bajo la influencia española, principalmente castellana y árabe, Buenos Aires fue por muchos años una ciudad con caracterÃsticas únicamente hispánicas que no pueden soslayarse..."
"Born under Spanish influence, mostly Castilian and Arab, for many years Buenos Aires was a city with hispanic characteristics that can't be eliminated (or ignored)..."
"Con el tiempo, ya a fines del siglo XVIII y bien entrado el XIX, estas casas de tipo español...
"With time, at the end if the XVIII century and well into the XIX, these houses of Spanish style...
Its at that time that iron bars with good craftsmanship begin to proliferate..."
"Los edificios y las partes que componen estas construcciones que van cubriendo Buenos Aires se fueron transformando poco a poco en el transcurso de los siglos XVIII y XIX: pero podemos ver que las fuertes puertas coloniales, de gruesos tableros y grandes clavos, las rejas de hierros verticales ornamentadas con los caracterÃsticos dibujos en forma de “eses” continuaron siendo usados hasta avanzado siglo XIX".
"These types of buildings that filled Buenos Aires in the course of the XVIII and XIX centuries were gradually transformed; but the strong colonial doors of thick wood planks and large nails, the ornamental vertical iron bars with the characteristic "S" style engravings continued to be in use well into the XIX century."
"[Desde mediados del siglo XIX] las rejas dejan de ser rÃgidas y se curvan, formando finos dibujos que combinan el hierro con palmetas y rosetones de zinc. Similares a las rejas de ventanas son las rejas cancel, que a partir de 1850 aparecen en muchas de las casas cerrando el pasillo de la entrada, dando cierta sensación de intimidad a las construcciones familiares".
"[From mid-XIX century] the bars are no longer rigid but instead are now curved into fine shapes that mix the iron with the cane and (I don't know how to translate 'rosetones' to English) of zinc. Similar to the iron bars for windows are the bars for jails that from 1850 start to appear in many houses closing the entry foyer, giving residential homes a sense of intimacy."
PS. I have always said that anyone that has never been to Spain can simply take a virtual tour in Google Street View and the bars on windows in every city and town will be obvious, regardless if its a safe neighborhood or not. The reason is simple, its a Spanish cultural tradition that all Spanish American countries inherited.
Gheeze LOL!! "The rejas on my windows and doors are such things of beauty ohhhhhh how they curve and glisten in the moonlight"
Don't you kinda see how rediculous your assumption is? I'm really supposed to believe that people add "rejas" here as a decoration? I like you you know, some things you mention, your right on. I know your intelligent, educated, maybe a little too educated..
I asked my boss directly above me, from Buenos Aires by the way this very question: Somehow, everyone I've asked here so far doesn't seem to be agreeing with you Anthony....sorry. Not tradition, necessity my friend, two very different things. But alas ( sighing ) I realize everyone here on these forums is so much more intelligent and knowledgeable than I. After all I've only lived here for more than 10 years right? I mean locks and security bars....it's all just decoration, just things of beauty...a tradition. Well, nobody here has a tradition like this... although I certainly hope the rising and skyrocketing crime doesn't become a "tradition"
I'll continue to ask around to see if anyone agrees with you ok? I'll let you know if I find someone.....but I'm not gonna hold my breathe ok?
Random Google Street View shots in random small and very safe villages in Spain. The Spanish tradition that more than 500 years ago the Spaniards introduced in Spanish America is very much on display, just like in Latin America. Definitely can't judge the safety level of a neighborhood in Spanish-speaking countries by the presence of iron bars on the windows, just like in Spain.
A Spanish Tradition that has Survived for Centuries
"Iron bars are part of life in Spain. In fact, few Spaniards would even think of living without them, and many even enjoy decorating their doors and windows with custom designs that are intended to be both beautiful and secure." http://www.andalucia.com/property/ironbars.htm
I think its a shame some people will not consider a country to live in simply because they think iron bars automatically means high crime area. That may be true in many countries, but in Spain and in countries that were governed by Spain for centuries; iron bars is not just a security measure, more often than not its simply a decorative tradition. That's why even in very safe places you will see iron bars on windows. In short, you can't judge a neighborhood or a country based on whether it has iron bars on their windows; you have to take the historical cultural origin and tradition of countries in the Spanish-speaking world.
It's exactly what it means here....come on, it's common sense!!
The bars are for protection and security ONLY. Of course, some of the guys will make them in more decorative forms than others, but here, that's rare. Usually there built into a frame and installed inside the frame of the window or door why? Because of decoration? No, because it makes them stronger and more difficult to remove. It's a shame people have to do this out of necessity. The folks that cant afford them? They REALLY suffer...I know cause I've heard about. They suffer multiple robberies...its a nightmare, terrible. The worry and constantly waking out of bed everytime you hear a strange noise be ause you know your home is an easy target. Their are untold hundreds of thousands if not millions of people here Anthony...that go through this every night down here, be ause its how they live. Its rare to see many homes without bars and alarms, mostly poor folks, and they really suffer for it. Mark my words, here if yoyr home doesnt have bars and a really good alarm, its only a matter of time. Not only that, it will happen more than once.....you can take that to the bank. Just 2 windows on my home, the only 2 without bars, thats where they hit us, they got in. I had my sons Clothes, 2 instruments, both our laptops, 2 pairs of shoes and several thousand pesos and my passport stolen. They used a crowbar to jimmy my front gate, busted my front window payne, punched holes in my walls, busted the bathroom door off the hinges and totally ransacked my place. The only instrument they didnt take they smashed on the floor in little pieces! To make matters worse, with my stolen computer the next day, they hacked my facebook account and left insulting and threatening posts online in my own account, mocking us and threatening me, my wife and my 2 year old son. So yeah, it scared me death cause I know what these people are capable of, I have a wife and a 2 year old...my family!! We "quickly" borrowed money and got bars up on the two big windows. My wife had nightmares and couldnt sleep for like 6 months afterwards. The only good out of the whole thing is that we werent home.
Can anyone actually believe that people "like" living behind bars and enjoy having to fork over thousands of pesos to have these things installed....Antonio, come on! People here HATE living like this man! But, at leadt you can sleep at night, they provide some improvement and sense of insecurity...It sucks Anthony, you feel like a prisoner in your own home, but you install them because YOU HAVE TOO. Or eventually some bunch of jerk offs are going to get inside your place and clean you out. I fell like a jailor walking around with 10 diff heavy keys for all the freaking locks and bars...but its the only way to keep these freaking thug street terrorists out of my home!
Anthony, your a good guy, and I like you, but sometimes I think you wanna debate something just for the sake of it. If you think rejas are beautiful, be my guest and get some. But you know, if you come down here and say that, folks here are going to think your just plain foolish for thinking that. These things are expensive, a huge investment!!
But you dont live here, you dont face what we're facing down here, your far away removed from whats going on so I understand. But come on, think about it, nobody really likes these things, they are out of necessity. I mean they still arent foolproof, but look, nobody installs these just because their "cute" they do it for a good reason. It provides greater security. We hate them, my wife and I. We had to borrow money for ours. We feel like we live behind the bars while the bad guys roam the streets...I mean its a sad but true irony and reality of latin america thats very fortunate.
Last edited by EricOldTime; 04-30-2015 at 06:19 AM..
This is how the American Samuel Hazard described one of the oldest Spanish American cities in 1871. This description is typical for practically all Spanish American and Spanish (in Spain) cities through the centuries. Some traditions simply survive the passage of time.
Hazard visited two Spanish American countries in his life time, the first was Cuba not long before visiting Dominican Republic (the second and last Spanish American country he visited), which is why he constantly compares the latter with what he saw in the former. Little did he know that it wasn't that much different in Spain itself and, in fact, most of what he saw in the two countries were traditions introduced by the Spanish.
IRON BARS "The same lack of glass in the windows, and the use of iron bars, seen in Cuba are universal here."
CRIME SITUATION "...A person may travel alone and unarmed all over the country with treasure without danger."
"The indicial officers stated that high crimes such as murder, arson, burglary, and the like are nearly unknown among them."
This is getting rediculous...I arrest my case... ( sighing )
Dude common sense....................this isn't 1871 Spain, we're discussing!! This is 2015 south america!!
People here don't put up bars for decoration, they install them for security!! I've already told you "nobody" here does....So far your batting a "0" with regards to everyone I've been asking down here in Argentina.
I guess I'm the only one that installs "rejas" for protection down here right? Everyone else installs them because their "cute" and because it's some tradition? Come on, don't be out of touch, you know better. Your just arguing for the sake of arguing.
I think most sensible folks with any bit of basic logic can see..
Last edited by EricOldTime; 04-30-2015 at 09:48 AM..
In regards to the subject of "rejas" / iron bars on windows...a couple of observations;
. The house I was born and grew up part of my childhood in S. America, had "rejas"/bars on its windows,...the reason? it was the custom at the time.
Even the big "ventanales" (big windows) had them. You would see them on second story windows, even on houses close to downtown...and again...it was the custom.
Migrating to Florida/Miami at a young age, I saw the same trend/custom on houses in our predominantly cuban neighborhood (Southwest, "La Sagüesera", Little Havana),..repeating myself...it was the custom.
. In our present times, where crime is rampart in some areas (as EOT has told us often about crime in Argentina), I can understand that it went from being the custom, to a means of protection for your home and family.
In regards to the subject of "rejas" / iron bars on windows...a couple of observations;
. The house I was born and grew up part of my childhood in S. America, had "rejas"/bars on its windows,...the reason? it was the custom at the time.
Even the big "ventanales" (big windows) had them. You would see them on second story windows, even on houses close to downtown...and again...it was the custom.
Migrating to Florida/Miami at a young age, I saw the same trend/custom on houses in our predominantly cuban neighborhood (Southwest, "La Sagüesera", Little Havana),..repeating myself...it was the custom.
. In our present times, where crime is rampart in some areas (as EOT has told us often about crime in Argentina), I can understand that it went from being the custom, to a means of protection for your home and family.
And that is sad.
My .02 cents.
Carry on.
No, that's my point, here it was never a custom...I've already been asking. Here it is exactly as was and is implied...a means of protection
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Rejas / Iron Bars
