Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Plaza de Mayo
Like spokes on a wheel, some of Buenos Aires' most important avenues
radiate outward from Plaza de Mayo. Nearly every era of the city's history
is reflected in the plaza's surroundings. The 18th-century government's
diminutive seat of power, El Cabildo, is divested of any official duty, yet it
still manages to exude an imposing aura opposite the much larger current
executive governmental offices, the Casa Rosada. The landscaped space in
between has been the scene of Argentina's fiercest internal struggles and
greatest joys, from the naval attacks of 1955 to pulsating parties following
World Cup soccer victories in 1978 and 1986. For all its formidable history,
Plaza de Mayo can still offer a quiet bench to read the paper or sip a
maté
.
Top 10 Features
1 Casa Rosada
2 El Cabildo
3 La Catedral Metropolitana
4 Pirámide de Mayo
5 Las Madres de Plaza
de Mayo
6 Banco de la Nación
7 Monument to General
Belgrano
8 Protests
9 Ministerio de Economía
0 Plazoleta de San Francisco
Plazoleta de San Francisco
If you are visiting
between March and
November, take a trip
to the nearby Casa
de la Cultura (
see
p15
) for the free
dance performances
at 6pm.
Have cakes and
coffee just two
blocks away at Café
La Puerto Rico
(Calle
Alsina 420).
• Map F2
• Casa Rosada: Calle
Hipólito Yrigoyen 219;
4344-3802;
www.museo.gov.ar
• El Cabildo: Calle
Bolívar 65; 4342-6729;
www.cultura.gov.ar
• La Catedral
Metropolitana: Cnr Avda.
Rivadavia & Calle San
Martín; 4331-2845;
www.arzbaires.org.ar/
catedral.htm
• Ministerio de
Economía: Calle Hipólito
Yrigoyen 250;
4349-5000;
www.mecon.gov.ar
£
La Catedral
Metropolitana
This large Neo Classical
cathedral
!
Casa Rosada
The President holds
meetings in the Casa
Rosada
was
consecrated in 1836. A
look inside reveals a
Rococo-style altar and the
mausoleum of Argentina's
liberator, General José de
San Martín.
(below)
. Visitors
can go back in time in the
building's museum, contain-
ing artifacts from the city's
original fortification.
@
El Cabildo
(above)
This viceroy govern-
ment building, built in 1725,
guards a collection of relics
that hint at Argentina's
pre-independence stature.
Its rear patio hosts an
artisans' market on
Thursdays and Fridays.
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