Buenos Aires…Plaza de Mayo
March 14, 2013 by Helen
Filed under Travel destinations
Stand in the middle of Plaza de Mayo.
Slowly turn 360 degrees. Can you believe we are actually here!
Look at all the history that surrounds you. Can you feel the spirits of those who lived through that history (long ago and in modern times)? Overwhelming , isn’t it. Plaza de Mayo is definitely one of the top things to see in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Hint: Click on any photo to enlarge it.
Our tour guide, Barbara will tell us a bit of that history before turning us loose to explore Plaza de Mayo (May Square) on our own.
Our tour guide, Barbara, gives us overview
Where to start…
Children in Plaza de Mayo
Let’s start right next to us where these children are playing. They sort of ground us in the here-and-now and perhaps put into perspective some of the history we will be part of as we travel around this plaza. Look up to the six o’clock position. (I believe that is south but you know me and my sense of direction!) That classic looking building is El Cabildo. Dating from Spanish colonial times it used to be the seat of the city council. Nowadays it hosts the National Museum of the Cabildo and the May Revolution (Museo Nacional del Cabildo y la Revolución de Mayo).
El Cabildo is from colonial times
Continuing our 360 degree tour…turn a bit to your right. That’s the Cathedral Metropolitana (Metropolitan Cathedral). It not only is a place of worship, but also the mausoleum of General San Martin, the liberator of Argentina. (Even though I only know a few words in Spanish it was not difficult to understand what that lady meant when she told you to take off your hat when you went into the cathedral. Good for her!) I wish photos were allowed here inside the cathedral as it is most impressive. Did you know that huge statue of Christ was carved from a carob tree? There is General San Martin’s tomb with an honor guard on duty.
Cathedral Metropolitana, mausoleum of General San Martin
Continuing our 360 degree tour…face north (yes, on the opposite side of the plaza from El Cabildo). Any guess as to what that huge, pretty pink building is? Think “Don’t Cry for me, Argentina”. You got it! That’s Casa Rosada (pink house)…the House of the National Government and the executive office of the President of Argentina.
Casa Rosada,Buenos Aires
But I suspect most visitors know it as the place that Evita lived. And there is the balcony where “Evita” sings “Don’t Cry for me, Argentina”. We learn that Madonna received permission to film on the real balcony while singing. This annoyed local actors who had been refused permission to do the same thing. (The tidbits one learns when travelling!)
Evita’s balcony
Another tidbit…the building is pink for a reason. It was a compromise between two coalition political parties in power when the building was painted. The Federal party colour was red, the Unitarians colour was white…compromise, a pink government building. Now look down at your feet. There, painted on the brick. Those white scarves are the symbol of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo…a group of women that has protested here every Thursday afternoon for more that thirty years. Their protest keeps focus on the thousands who literally “disappeared” during the military dictatorship in the 1980s.
Mothers of May Square symbols painted on the bricks
Thank you for joining us. Hope you enjoyed your little tour of Plaza de Mayo, one of the top attractions in Buenos Aires (so much Argentine history all in one place!).
How to Get to Plaza de Mayo
- Take a guided coach tour
- Book a guided walking tour of historical Buenos Aires
- See it all-in-one-day walking tour
How to get to Buenos Aires
- Fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Happy travels!
