Archivo Histórico de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires

History and Founding

The Archivo Histórico de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires traces its origins to the Instituto Histórico de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, which was created by Decree-Ordinance 12,579/1949 on October 7, 1949, following recommendations of the Third Inter-American Historical Municipal Congress held in San Juan de Puerto Rico in 1948. In 1970, Decree 1937/70 formalized the archive's structure, establishing it as one of three areas of the Instituto Histórico. In 2010, Decree 28/2010 transferred custody of all municipal documents over 40 years old to the archive. Its current home, at Bolívar 466, became its permanent seat following a definitive move in December 2010.

Collections and Holdings

The archive holds more than two million documents organized in ten documentary funds, ranging from the late 18th century through the late 20th century. Holdings include manuscripts, printed texts, urban and architectural plans, and original cartographic documents produced by the Municipalidad de Buenos Aires. The main documentary fund covers municipal administration from 1854 to 1920, with thematic series such as the Corporación Municipal (1856–1879), the Gestión Torcuato de Alvear (1880–1887), and the Municipalidad de Buenos Aires (1888–1920), among others. Topics span abasto, water, lighting, streets, commerce, health, hospitals, real estate, and transport. There is also a specialized library of over 5,000 volumes on the history of the city and its neighborhoods.

Notable Materials

The archive holds unique original cartographic pieces, hand-drawn maps, and cadastral plans from the 19th century. The Dirección General de Tierras-Archivo de Mensuras fund includes landmark documents such as draft manuscripts by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento related to the Parque Tres de Febrero. A digital access project launched post-COVID enables remote consultation of the collection.

Access and Usage

The archive is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 to 16:00, and offers public consultation, bibliographic research, and digital access to portions of its holdings.