A Seat with Carlos Gardel

The fountain you see here, covered in padlocks, was brought from Mexico by the owners of the FACAL café as a way to boost the restaurant’s image. According to local legend, if you place a padlock on the fountain with the initials of two people, they’ll return to Montevideo together, and their love will last forever. Just beside it, sitting at a café table, is Carlos Gardel, the greatest tango singer of all time. If you don’t know much about him, here’s the first thing to understand: his origins are wrapped in mystery. The most widely accepted theory says he was born on December 11, 1890, in Toulouse, France, under the name Charles Romuald Gardes. He was the son of Berthe Gardes, who emigrated with him to Argentina when he was three. In Buenos Aires, Charles became Carlos, blending into the local culture. But others insist he was born in Uruguay, in the town of Tacuarembó, the illegitimate son of a wealthy politician, and given to Berthe Gardes to raise as her own in Argentina. According to this version, Charles Gardes and Carlos Gardel were two different people. Gardel himself never cleared things up—he remained vague about his past, though he often referred to himself as a child of the Uruguayan land, fueling the mystery even further. He even altered his official Argentine documents to be recognised as a native citizen, which only added to the confusion. These conflicting stories have ignited a fierce cultural rivalry between Uruguay and Argentina, each proudly claiming Gardel as their own. Meanwhile, France points to clear records of his birth in Toulouse. His death isn’t disputed, but it carries its own share of mystery. He died in a plane crash in Medellín, Colombia, at the age of 44, right at the peak of his fame, beloved all over the world. Now, here he is, immortalised in bronze, waiting patiently at a café table, so go ahead, take a seat, snap a photo, or just share a quiet moment with the man whose voice still echoes in the soul of tango.