Okay. So, I thought about trying to remember what order I did everything in and writing in chronological order, but this city has so much to offer, that the order I did things is just a blur, and many things were done part in one day and part in another, and I went to some places multiple days. So, I'm going to try to do this by topic. The topic for this installment is one of my heros, Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, aka Evita. She was born the bastard daughter of an influential politician. When he died, her family was no longer provided for. Eva worked as a seamstress and did other jobs before turning to show business and getting some roles in radio and even a couple of movies. While working, she began her activism, organizing unions and working to improve working conditions for the poor, especially those in her field. When she met and fell in love with Juan Peron, she was able to expand her activism through his political offices, including as President of Argentina, making her the First Lady. She was very loved and very hated. There didn't appear to be much middle ground. Even today, many of her detractors will say that if they had done the work she did, Evita would be nothing more than a B actress. Maybe so, but the point is, they didn't do that work. In fact, many of them in their day actively worked against the reforms Evita made for healthcare, education, housing, and so many other social programs that have made Argentina what it is today. The people begged her to run for Vice President, an office she declined, saying she would accept the work, but not the honor. She died at the age of 33 from cancer, and left a legacy few can rival, even when they have lived to be elderly. She was so controversial that her body was stolen after laying in state and being given full government honors. Eventually, it was sent overseas and hidden so it could not be molested any further. Ultimately, she was returned to Argentina and allowed to lay in rest in her father's family tomb in Recoletta Cemetery in Buenos Aires. This is just the cliff notes. Do more than just watch the movie, Evita, to learn more about her. That movie just scratches the surface, not much deeper than I just did. She is an amazing woman. I speak about her in the present because, though her body has died, her spirit is still alive, and she remains amazing.
My first stop was Recoleta. The area has many amazing things in it. Things such as UN Park, where there is a flower sculpture. In the morning, the flower opens. At sunset, it closes. I had thought about coming to see it open or close, but that didn't happen. The area around the park has statuary (again, surprise!) and a lovely bridge the crosses the road. And the parks are full of these huge rubber trees!
One of these trees is so large and so old that they have erected statuary to hold up some of the larger branches! The focus for Recoleta, for me at least, was the cemetery. Recoleta Cemetery houses the final resting sites of many famous people, including Napolean's daughter, and many of the crypts are very interesting. The style of interment here seems to be similar to that in New Orleans or other low-lying, primary Catholic areas. I didn't take the tour, but they did give me a map, which pointed out where some of those crypts were, including Evita's. The aisles are so narrow, it was impossible to get a full shot of the family tomb, so here is the best I could do. She is well loved, and people place flowers for her every day. After paying my respects, I went to Casa Rosada. It is the Presidential Palace. In front of the Casa is the Plaza de Mayo, where countless demonstrations have occurred throughout history. Evita made addresses to the people from the balcony here into the plaza. There are apparently tours of the casa on Saturdays, which must be arranged in advance on the website, but I never could get the website to load.
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