Calle Zinc

The name comes from the periodic table. Zinc is that bluish metal that protects iron from rust and, alloyed with copper, gives brass. The word reached Spanish through the German Zink, related to Zinke, “point” or “tooth”, after the sharp crystals the metal forms as it solidifies. The street belongs to what locals call the Barrio de los Metales, a patch of Arganzuela by the Plaza de Legazpi where the street map reads like a mineralogy sampler. A few steps away run Hierro, Plomo, Bronce, Cromo, Rodio and Ónice. This strip to the south was industrial ground for decades, with workshops, foundries and sheds that smelled of hot metal. When the industry left and housing arrived, the names of the materials stayed on as a reminder of what was worked there. Down Zinc now walks only whoever is looking for a doorway.