The neighborhood owes its name to the local general store set by Mr. Nicolás Vila in 1804 in the corner of the current Rivadavia avenue and Emilio Mitre street, and which was famous for its horse- shaped weathervane. Just as all west neighborhoods, Caballito made a huge progress thanks to the railroad, which has crossed the neighborhood since 1857 and whose station also adopted the name of that old local general store.
Along the current Rivadavia avenue, there used to be luxurious weekend houses belonging to porteños, that is to say, citizens of Buenos Aires. One of those properties, the one owned by Ambrosio Plácido Lezica, became Parque Rivadavia in 1928. The tram, and, later, the subway, contributed a lot to the development of this neighborhood, which is now one of the most residential ones in Buenos Aires and the geographic center of our city.
A replica of the traditional horse-shaped weathervane at Primera Junta park takes us back to the time when the neighborhood was a place to relax before getting back to Buenos Aires.