The physical locations referenced in El Loco Ruiz give some useful insight into the historical context of Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1919. Within the play Viamonte street is mentioned, which serves as the location of the famous Teatro Colon opera house, one of the most world-renowned opera houses in Latin America. An important retail location of note that appears within El Loco Ruiz is Calle Florida, and though the play itself does little to explain the significance of the location, it served as the location of the department store “Mexico”. Another important connection to retail presented in the play is a pawn shop known as “Bric-a-Brac” from which the titular Ruiz purchased a portrait of a German prince and a statue of Diana the Hunter, items that illustrate the social class of Ruiz as that of middle class.
Further allusions to social class are made through the locations referenced within the play. The fancy furniture and piano found in Ruiz’s place located at the address “340” on an unknown street give off the facade of a middle or high class background. The Afro-Argentine character “pibe” is said to have came from “La Petit Salon”, a salon being a location frequented by the high classes to socialize apart from the hoi palloi, another allusion to high class living made by the play. On the other end of the class spectrum, 860 Ecuador serves as the location of a conventillo, one of the infamous slum boarding houses regarded as places of ill-repute and indicative of the poverty around the outskirts of the city.
Within the play there are a couple references to other possible historical realities of 1919 Buenos Aires. Through the mention of the La Union train station the play sheds light on the modes of travel of the time. In another small snippet of the play, the bribery with alcohol of a policeman from Cordoba shows possible conduct of the police at the time.