Filete or Fileteando are words used interchangeably to describe a porteño style of ornamentation on everyday objects. Towards the turn of the 20th century in Buenos Aires, there was a surge of immigrant workers to the young, cosmopolitan city nicknamed “The Paris of the South”. With new architectural and aesthetic styles filling the city - filete became a new aesthetic or ornamental style found on carts of local vegetable, milk and bread vendors.

Like the tango, filete was born out of the lower classes as part of the music, art, dance, and poetry that defined the new porteño identity. Some of the famous phrases, verses or titles of popular tangos of the day would be turned into filete and painted on the sides of carriages and trucks.

Some of the most famous filetadores (pioneers of the art) are Italians Salvatore Venturo, Vicente Brunetti and Cecilo Pascarella, however some of the most renown contributors include Alejandro Monteberri, Martiniano Arce, Leon Untroib, the Brunetti and Bernasconi brothers and Jorge Muscia - the latter still lives and works as a filetador in San Telmo.

Nowadays, you can still see filete on the occasional horse drawn carriage, antique cart along the street, in select tango salons, but this style of decoration can be seen most pervasively on every single one of the buses that storm the streets of Buenos Aires on a daily basis. Although they’re a little hard to photograph since they move so fast, it’s worth it to check out the detail that goes into decorating these imposing works of art.