Walk through Saavedra, Coghlan, Belgrano, Colegiales, and Palermo. CABA. Murals.

Walking from Parque Sarmiento to Plaza Italia, crossing through the neighborhoods of Saavedra, Coghlan, Belgrano, Colegiales, and Palermo.
The walk began at the entrance to Parque Sarmiento, and right at the start, the route offered its first stop: a geometric, abstract wall sculpture or relief in a modernist/late-modernist style. It is a large-format three-dimensional applique placed over the white plaster of the facade, composed of faceted geometric planes that intersect through sharp low and high relief lines. Although it is an abstract piece, its silhouette has a distinct zoomorphic or dynamic quality: it clearly recalls a stylized fish positioned vertically (with a top fin, a faceted body, and a split tail at the base), a seabird or flying figure with wings spread at an angle, or a simplified polygonal sailboat canvas—a nautical theme. Regarding material and texture, it appears to be made of cement, molded exterior plaster, or sheet metal treated with a finish that mimics stone texture or aged bronze, painted in matte ochre/gold tones that strongly contrast with the white wall. These types of interventions—known in architecture and design as integrated wall reliefs—were extremely common in residential architecture from the 1950s onward and throughout the 60s and 70s.
Further along, the facade of an urban building was decorated with a mural of a fantastical black creature with white dots, spikes on its back, and a long trunk with a ringed texture, alongside a similar design on the side access gate. The main mural shows an illustrative and playful zoomorphic figure, painted in dark tones with dotted patterns and spiky details over a light background, while on the ground-floor door there is a smaller black-and-white design that echoes the aesthetic of the main creature. The entire ensemble is framed by prominent trees on the sidewalk and an upper metal structure with vegetation.
The route continued through the Gatica-Goyeneche underpass, on Ricardo Balbín Avenue, in the Saavedra neighborhood. Painted there is a traditional colectivo (city bus) from Buenos Aires—a classic porteño bus decorated in the traditional fileteado style—representing Bus Line 19. This presence is no coincidence: it is a deep homage to the history of Saavedra and to the life of Roberto "El Polaco" Goyeneche. Before establishing himself as one of the greatest legends of Argentine tango, Goyeneche worked as a bus driver for Line 19, which at the time was managed by the company Microómnibus Saavedra S.A., driving old buses through the very same neighborhood streets where he grew up. Even after achieving fame, he occasionally recalled his time behind the wheel with pride on television shows, where he was even filmed driving a unit from his beloved line. The side walls of the underpass also feature monochromatic artistic illustrations depicting urban landscapes of Buenos Aires and tributes to local icons, such as the tango singer Roberto "Polaco" Goyeneche himself and the boxer José María "Mono" Gatica.
Nearby stands a painted commemorative wall marking the 150th anniversary of the Saavedra neighborhood in Buenos Aires, with the base of the flagpole painted in the colors of the Argentine flag. The theme of the artwork is the 150th Anniversary of Saavedra, organized by Communal Board No. 12 (Junta Comunal N° 12), conceived and created by Ismael Diggelmann and Fabiana Sidero, featuring paintwork collaboration by Mariana Deus and the mural workshop of the C.C. Discépolin, led by Silvi Ruffo.
A little further down, an urban niche or popular shrine appeared—a manifestation of street devotion quite common in several cities. The main figure is a small statue of the Virgin Mary—specifically the Virgin of Fátima, recognizable by her praying posture with hands joined, white cloak, and a base of clouds and flowers—housed in a small triangular wooden house or rustic niche made of handcrafted timber, logs, and boards, fixed to a tree trunk on the public sidewalk. It is a spontaneous altar set up by neighbors on the pavement—with the city's public bikeshare stations and apartment buildings visible in the background—intended to offer protection, express gratitude, or create a space for community veneration in daily urban life.
The route also crossed a mural painted on a dark gray wall featuring a botanical design of large flowers, resembling peonies or roses, in white, gray, and light pink tones, surrounded by leaves and a white geometric ring. It was not possible to identify the exact signature or authorship at first glance, as no visible signature appears in the photo.
Along the way, a little Fitito (Fiat 600) appeared, quite battered by the years yet intact in its urban mystique: a classic Fiat 600 that seems to carry years of weather exposure, with faded paint and bodywork putting up a fight. Nevertheless, it carries that unshakeable dignity of everyday popular cars from another era: against all odds and the passage of time, there it stands, firm on the sidewalk.
On the metal roller shutter of a garage, an old mural dating back to 2017 appeared, with an illegible artist signature, possibly "Faunoart" or "Fauno art." It is a piece of urban art with an abstract-organic design, composed of fluid shapes simulating water or wind, combined with daisy floral motifs at the bottom. The color palette is dominated by cool colors in the center—blue, sky blue, and black—contrasting with warm and pastel tones—pink, salmon, and yellow—at the top.
Another mural, also painted on the metallic shutter of a commercial storefront, depicts the figure of a woman in reddish and pink tones with her hair blowing in the wind, holding or releasing a long piece of fabric over a blue and sky-blue aquatic background. As it is a piece of street art or an anonymous urban mural without clear authorship in general local records, it can be generically described as an artistic intervention on a metal shutter with a marine and figurative theme.
This underwater or aquatic mural is located on a corner in Belgrano, dates back to 2021, and its signature is partially covered, though the hashtag signature #Ayedav is visible. It is an underwater-themed artistic composition that wraps around the corner store's facade and shutters. On the main metal panel, right at the corner of Cramer, appears the silhouette of a submerged woman or mermaid in pink and crimson tones, whose hair floats gently upward mimicking the movement of water; the figure holds a pink fluid or fabric unfolding organically along the shutter over an aquatic background of turquoise, sky blue, and deep blue tones. Turning onto the side street of La Pampa and Cramer, a close-up detail of the aquatic figure's face can be seen, tilted backward with eyes closed, suggesting a sense of floating, rest, or weightlessness underwater. The red and purple strokes on the hair and facial contours stand out, contrasting sharply with the cool palette of the background. The composition is completed by marine flora and fauna: on the pillars and side walls are fronds of seaweed and kelp in yellow, orange, and green tones reaching vertically up to the air conditioning unit, while on the lower sections of the shutter are corals, sea anemones with vibrant pink tentacles, and porous structures mimicking sea sponges and invertebrates on the seabed.
Upon reaching the old perimeter wall of the Colegiales Railway Rail Yard (II), a collection of murals dating from 2021 appeared, reflecting the contrast between elaborate illustrative muralism and raw street graffiti or tagging directly over the ancient brick texture. There is an extensive exposed brick wall featuring urban art interventions and graffiti in various styles: a building-devouring monster, a rough-looking green creature with large teeth captured at the exact moment it is eating a building or apartment block, emerging from vibrant colored flowers—red, purple, and green—with smiley faces in their centers; an illustrated mural with a slogan over a bright blue background in a children's or pop art style showing two stylized faces with the text "PARQUES SÍ, TORRES NO" ("YES TO PARKS, NO TO TOWERS") written across the green section, a common neighborhood protest slogan; Looney Tunes cartoon characters, including a rebellious or urban version of Tweety Bird wearing black sunglasses alongside the number "712", and a depiction of Sylvester the Cat with his characteristic large red nose and classic expression, painted making use of the wall's reliefs and electrical boxes; and further along the same wall, a feline and spray-paint lettering, featuring the head of an orange cat or feline with its mouth open showing its teeth, next to pink and black spray-painted graffiti signatures, including "COTI" and "JULI".
Along that same stretch, a wall appeared that serves as a perfect example of an urban micro-ecosystem, where material physics and plant biology feed off each other in a vertical ecological succession. At the physical base lies the substrate and moisture: standard brick masonry, likely old or degraded, whose original mortar joint has eroded over time, leaving cavities, fissures, and an extremely porous surface. Added to this is permanent seepage and condensation, as water does not only arrive via rain—the wall acts as a vertical sponge, constantly retaining moisture through capillary action from the base, upper leaks from defective drains or roofs, or permanent shade that prevents evaporation. Resting on this base is the primary layer of mosses and bryophytes, the green mantle: rootless pioneers that, requiring no deep soil, adhere via rhizoids directly to the porous material, acting as a biological sponge that retains water droplets and fine dust particles, progressively forming an organic layer—primary humus—over the bare brick. Above this layer appears intermediate and rupicolous vegetation, the crack plants: ruderal seedlings and sprouts, small round-leaved herbs blooming over the moss layer, whose seeds are brought by wind or birds and find the necessary nitrogen and moisture to germinate in the wall joints. Over time, these create a wedge effect as their roots penetrate the cracks between bricks, accelerating mortar decay and creating even deeper grooves for larger species. Finally, in the upper layer, ferns and ledge vegetation appear: sciophilous (shade-loving) species that predominate in higher areas and overhanging eaves, thriving on constant ambient humidity and indirect light. Featuring aerial roots and dry fronds—greenish fronds mixed with brown, dry remains from past seasons—the accumulation of dead organic matter on the brick steps creates natural compost, allowing the fern to survive virtually suspended in mid-air. Altogether, the wall is a visual testament to how nature reclaims masonry structures in humid, low-traffic environments: the brick absorbs water, the moss anchors the base, and more complex plants colonize the cracks as the structure gradually weathers.
The route also passed by a building presenting a picturesque eclectic style, with a very strong Art Nouveau/Modernist influence and touches of Basque picturesque or Californian/Mediterranean chalet style in its rooflines. It is a classic example of urban residential architecture from the first decades of the 20th century, approximately between 1910 and 1930, built on a chamfered corner (chaflán).
There was also a composition bringing together several natural elements: a Rufous-bellied Thrush (Turdus rufiventris), spotted camouflaged and foraging on the damp soil just beneath the dry branches in the center of the bushes, its characteristic orange/reddish breast barely contrasting with the tone of the ground and leaf litter; yellow daisies, the small flowers dotting the bush or living hedge arranged around the base of the structure, adding pops of color among the green and dry foliage; an exposed brick booth or guardhouse, a small brick structure with iron grilles on its windows and a gabled metal roof, reminiscent of old railway control booths, though in this context appearing as a security post with a portable chemical toilet (Ecosan) behind it; and in the bottom left corner of the grass, a stinging nettle or thistle, the rosette of jagged, spiky leaves typical of a thistle or nettle growing flat against the ground.
The route also crossed paths with artwork created by school students, displayed on murals along the perimeter fence: mixed-media panels made by students ranging from black ink drawings on white paper—trees and patterns—and tissue paper collages—flowers and foliage—to abstract paintings and nature compositions depicting insects and plants. In front, a large mural painted on a panel shows a woodland landscape with trees, flowers, birds, and animals, signed by "Escuela N° 16 D.E. 9" alongside the names of participating students or teachers in the bottom left margin.
Further along, a mural appeared featuring a community environmental awareness design promoted by the local neighborhood initiative "Somos Colegiales," along with local graphic design and business sponsors. It combines a simple line-illustration aesthetic with a message focused on urban ecology: the central axis, dedicated to the 3 Rs and water conservation, highlights the prefix "RE" unfolding into the verbs "Reducí" (Reduce), "Reusá" (Reuse), "Reciclá" (Recycle)—with "Respetá" (Respect) added below—over a blue background featuring the classic recycling symbol, while on the top right, the slogan "Cuidá el agua" (Save water) is accompanied by drawings of a faucet and water drops. On the sides, community action and waste sorting are depicted: neighbors in action, a person on a ladder placing bags into a bin labeled "Reciclables" (Recyclables), and others managing waste. To the left, urban nature is integrated with a simply drawn tree, plants, and the figure of a cat, seeking to connect the everyday urban environment with respect for local flora and fauna. Overall, the mural seeks to transform a party wall—in this case adjacent to a construction or excavation site—into a dissemination point for source separation of waste and sustainable habits for the neighborhood.
Toward the end, the remains of a very old mural dating back to 2015 appeared, possibly signed "PMC." It is a popular urban mural on exterior plaster that has suffered significantly from rising damp via capillary action from the sidewalk and the passage of time. The base design—featuring stylized turquoise blue shoots or plants and reddish leaves over an orange-to-pink gradient—looks very much like an initiative to tidy up the building front. Over the years, it accumulated cement patches, gas/electricity meters, junction boxes, and small graffiti or signatures, giving it an almost urban archaeology texture typical of the neighborhood.
Finally, near Plaza Italia, the facade of a building appeared decorated with a street art mural featuring a botanical design of large white flowers on a blue and black background, dating from 2019 and unsigned. Large white flowers with yellow centers and defined petals are visible, accompanied by small green geometric details and the number 228 painted at the top of the frame. The artistic style approaches botanical illustration or an organic mural intervention.
Urban Hiking (Urban Trek), city-trekking, and low-intensity steady-state urban walking (LISS). An active yet contemplative journey.

Wikiloc track: https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-senderismo/walk-through-saavedra-coghlan-belgrano-colegiales-and-palermo-caba-murals-285062365

Photos: https://reuniendoletras.blogspot.com/2026/07/caminata-por-saavedra-coghlan-belgrano.html