Conchillas

Conchillas was built from 1887 by C.H. Walker and Company, a British contractor quarrying stone and dredging sand here to ship across the river for the construction of Buenos Aires port and much of the city itself. The company laid out the village to its own plan: brick and stone cottages with corrugated roofs, a company store, a school and a hospital, most of it still standing and lived in. The village was declared a national historic monument.

What you actually see

• The company cottages - brick and stone houses built to the contractor's plan.
• The company store - the general store that served the whole village.
• The quarries - the workings whose stone and sand went to Buenos Aires.
• The river frontage - the loading point on the Rio de la Plata.

When to go

Year round; the village is small and always accessible. Weekends bring more visitors. Winter on the river is damp and windy.

Honest expectations

The village is tiny and an hour covers it. Interpretation is limited to a few plaques. Some buildings are in poor repair.

Nearby

Colonia del Sacramento is southeast, and Carmelo is north.