Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Néstor Kirchner's presidency, as he was sympathetic to their requests. To this day they
march on, but as a reminder of the past - and for other social-justice causes.
Casa Rosada
Taking up the whole eastern side of the Plaza de Mayo is the unmistakeable pink facade of
during the presidency of Domingo F Sarmiento. It occupies a site where colonial riverb-
ank fortifications once stood; today, however, after repeated landfills, the palace stands
more than 1km inland. The offices of 'La Presidenta' Cristina Kirchner are here (a small
raised pennant, under Argentina's national flag, notes her presence in the building), but
the presidential residence is in the calm suburb of Olivos, north of the center.
The side of the palace that faces Plaza de Mayo is actually the back of the building. It's
from these balconies that Juan and Eva Perón, General Leopoldo Galtieri, Raúl Alfonsín
and other politicians have preached to throngs of impassioned Argentines when they felt it
necessary to demonstrate public support. Madonna also crooned from here for her movie
Evita
.
The salmon-pink color of the palace, which positively glows at sunset, could have come
from President Sarmiento's attempt at making peace during his 1868-74 term (by blend-
ing the red of the Federalists with the white of the Unitarists). Another theory, however, is
that the color comes from painting the palace with bovine blood, which was a common
practice back in the late 19th century.
Off-limits during the military dictatorship of 1976-83, the Casa Rosada is now reason-
ably accessible to the public. Free half-hour
tours
(
10am-6pm Sat & Sun)
are
4344-3600;
given.
Underneath the Casa Rosada, excavations have unearthed remains of the
Fuerte Viejo,
a
ruin dating from the 18th century. These are accessible via entry to the Museo del Bi-
centenario.
In 1955 naval aircraft strafed the Casa Rosada and other nearby buildings during the
Revolución Libertadora, which toppled Juan Perón's regime. On the northern side of the
appropriately bureaucratic
Ministerio de Economía
, an inconspicuous plaque commemorates
the attacks (look for the bullet holes to the left of the doors). The inscription translates as,
'The scars on this marble were the harvest of confrontation and intolerance. Their imprint
on our memory will help the nation achieve a future of greatness'.
Towering above the Casa Rosada, just south of Parque Colón on Av Colón, is the army
headquarters at the
Edificio Libertador
, the real locus of Argentine political power for many
