3. Tango is intimately linked to the history of the Rio de la Plata, the natural border between the countries, and the melting pot of poor immigrants and former slaves who settled in the river basin late in the 19th century. Accompanied by a small accordion known as a “bandoneon”, many tango songs were written in a distinctive slang called “lunfardo”, forged in the region's “milongas.” Tango's plaintive lyrics tell of heartache and homesickness, of family ties and life in the city suburbs, known as the “arrabal.” __
