(a) The conventillo and other precarious forms of popular housing
It is probable that the image of the conventillo with its overcrowded quarters and noise, has generated a distorted vision of reality, obscuring the experiences of thousands of workers who lived in other kinds of residences. The great concentration of tenants in the downtown area contributed to this vision which was amply sensationalised by the press and literature of the period. On the other hand, authorities concentrated their attention on the conventillo, since it was the locus of infection and disease. While statistics on tenant housing and a wide array of qualitative sources have led to a range of historical writing, it is nearly impossible to measure other types of residences since munica inspections did not include rental housing with less than six rooIIIs. The percentages of tenants in conventillos (26.5 percent in 1887 and 14.1 percent in 1904) among the porteño population, was significant. But they also suggest that there existed a wide spectrum of popular housing for skilled workers, artisans, day-labourers, small merchants and employees, which accounted for an even larger percentage. Even though the censuses varied in their use of occupational categories, it is still possible to make some approximations: in 1887, Buenos Aires had 184129 people employed in manual labour, personal services and commerce in general. By 1904, the number of industrial, commercial, transportation, as well as casual and personal service occupations rose to 271499. If we include the family nucleus, the spectrum of porteño workers far exceeds the population in conventillos, especially after the turn of the century.