Buenos Aires Museums: Chapter 04: Museo Evita [ENG | ESP]

So far, in [Buenos Aires Museums](https://hive.blog/hive-163772/@cristiancaicedo/buenos-aires-museums-a-new-series-eng-or-esp) I have shown you havens for Argentine art and history, but another thing about that country is that they're very proud of some of their personalities. A few months ago I shared my visit to the [Gardel Museum](https://hive.blog/hive-163772/@cristiancaicedo/in-the-land-of-tango-visiting-gardel-museum-eng-or-esp) and today I want to share with you my visit to a similar place that also pays tribute to another great figure in Argentine history, the unforgettable Eva Perón. >Hasta ahora, en [Museos de Buenos Aires](https://hive.blog/hive-163772/@cristiancaicedo/buenos-aires-museums-a-new-series-eng-or-esp) les he mostrado refugios para el arte y la historia argentina, pero otra cosa que tiene ese país es que están muy orgullosos de algunos de sus personajes. Hace algunos meses compartí mi visita al [Museo Gardel](https://hive.blog/hive-163772/@cristiancaicedo/in-the-land-of-tango-visiting-gardel-museum-eng-or-esp) y hoy les quiero compartir mi paso por un lugar similar que también rinde homenaje a otro gran personaje de la historia argentina, la inolvidable Eva Perón. María Eva Duarte was a woman who devoted herself from an early age to theater, radio, and film, and whose fame grew exponentially after she married Juan Domingo Perón, who later became president of the republic. However, Eva Perón—affectionately known to Argentines simply as Evita—was not merely a companion figure for the president, and limiting her biography to simply stating that she was an actress and first lady is not only an incomplete picture of her, but also quite false. Evita was one of the founders of the Argentine Radio Association (ARA), she pushed for the passage of a law allowing women to vote, built hospitals, nursing homes, and schools through the Eva Perón Foundation, and developed numerous social programs focused on minorities, women, and workers. One of these programs trained women in the use of sewing machines so that, through this tool, they could earn their own income (remember that until not long ago, women were almost exclusively condemned to being housewives and dependent on a father or husband, often without the ability to work or study); it also promoted the manufacture of the first Argentine refrigerator and a host of other initiatives that benefited many Argentinians. Evita wasn't just a name on the screen and someone who posed for photos; she was a woman deeply committed to improving people's lives, promoting social tourism by creating summer camps, promoting sports among children, supporting homemakers... In terms of political ideology, there are still and always will be Argentinians who differ from the convictions of Perón and his wife, but it cannot be denied that many of her programs had a positive impact on the development of their society, and that's why thousands of people still pay tribute to this woman today.  |  |  --- | --- | ---  |  |  >María Eva Duarte fue una mujer que se dedicó desde temprana edad al teatro, la radio y el cine y cuya fama creció exponencialmente al casarse con Juan Domingo Perón, quien fuera luego presidente de la república. Ahora bien, Eva Perón - a quien los argentinos cariñosamente llaman simplemente Evita - no fue sólo una figura de compañía para el primer mandatario y reducir su biografía a decir que fue actriz y primera dama no es sólo dar una imagen incompleta de ella sino bastante falsa. >Evita fue una de las fundadoras de la Asociación Radial Argentina (ARA), impulsó hasta alcanzar la promulgación de una ley que permitió el sufragio femenino, construyó hospitales, asilos y escuelas a través de la Fundación Eva Perón y desarrolló muchos programas sociales con enfoque en las minorías, las mujeres y los obreros. Uno de esos programas capacitó a las mujeres en el uso de máquinas de coser para que a través de esa herramienta pudieran obtener un ingreso propio (recordemos que hasta no hace mucho tiempo las mujeres estaban _condenadas_ casi exclusivamente a ser amas de casa y a depender de un padre o de un esposo sin poder muchas veces trabajar o estudiar); también se impulsó la fabricación del primer refrigerador de origen argentino y otro montón de iniciativas que beneficiaron a muchos argentinos. Evita no fue sólo un nombre en la pantalla y alguien que posaba para las fotos; fue una mujer bastante comprometida con mejorar la vida de las personas, con impulsar el turismo social creando colonias de vacaciones, difundir el deporte entre los niños, apoyar a las amas de casa... en términos de ideología política aun hay y siempre habrá argentinos que difieran de las convicciones de Perón y de su esposa, pero no se puede negar que muchos de sus programas tuvieron un impacto positivo en el desarrollo de su sociedad y por eso hay miles de personas que aún hoy siguen rindiendo homenaje a esta mujer.  |  |  --- | --- | ---   |  |  --- | --- | --- --- The Evita Museum is located in Palermo, in a building dating from 1923. After a rather conflictive history between Peronism and members of future governments (such as those of the Liberating Revolution), the museum was finally inaugurated in 2002, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Eva Perón's death, who died of cervical cancer at just 33 years of age. This place was thus born to honor each and every one of the facets of this great woman. >El Museo Evita está ubicado en Palermo, en un edificio que data de 1923. Después de una historia bastante conflictiva entre el peronismo y los miembros de gobiernos futuros (como los de la Revolución Libertadora) finalmente el Museo fue inaugurado en el 2002, con el motivo del 50° aniversario de la muerte de Eva Perón, fallecida apenas a los 33 años de edad de un cáncer de cuello uterino. Nació entonces este lugar para homenajear todas y cada una de las facetas de esta insigne mujer. The Evita Museum displays dresses, personal belongings, graphic materials, audiovisual materials, memorable quotes, photographs, and episodes from Evita's personal, political, and community history in various rooms located around a beautiful Andalusian-style courtyard (whose blue mosaics are gorgeous, although they clash somewhat with the aesthetics of the rest of the house). The place is very tidy, clean, and reverential; one can see the affection and devotion of the Argentine people toward this woman whose remains—after being desecrated and hidden by the Liberating Revolution—finally rest in her family's tomb in the iconic Recoleta Cemetery. I don't know how well-known Eva Perón's name is around the world these days, but my first memory of her dates back to the 1990s, when Madonna starred in the biopic about her. Although it took me about thirty years to learn more about Evita, I'm grateful for the opportunity to visit this museum, which is open Tuesday through Sunday. I recommend including it in your itinerary when visiting the Argentine capital. Did you know anything about Evita? Have you been to this museum? I'll read you in the comments.  |  |  --- | --- | ---  |  |