Agustín
Google
The “Barrancas” are a set of sloped grounds — a former riverbank terrace — that today form a green public space in the neighbourhood Belgrano, Buenos Aires. 
• Until the mid-19th century, the waters of Río de la Plata reached right up to what are now the Barrancas; the area was part of the river’s floodplain. 
• In 1862, with the construction of the railway embankment (now part of Ferrocarril Mitre / formerly “Ferrocarril del Norte”), the lands were “dried out” and transformed, allowing for urban development. 
🏞️ Transformation into a Public Space & Park
• The lands once belonged to the “quinta” (estate) of Valentín Alsina. In 1871, the residents of the then-town of Belgrano bought these lands from Alsina (which had been private) and decided to turn them into a public promenade. 
• The final transformation into a park occurred in 1892, when the famed landscape architect Carlos Thays was commissioned to “parquize” the Barrancas. The layout he designed remains, largely, the foundation of the park today. 
• That design transformed the former riverbank/estate into a structured green space: with three adjoining “manzanas” (blocks), paths, trees, and areas for leisure.