Following the launch of the new London musical, Evita, showing at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre until 21 September, the Buenos Aires tourism board (https://turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar/en) outlines the best Evita themed experiences in the Argentina capital, 100 years since her birth in 1919.
Eva Perón was born in 1919 in the rural village of Los Toldos, Argentina. After moving to Buenos Aires in the 1930s, she had some success as an actress before marrying in Juan Perón in 1945, who became president of Argentina the following year. Eva Perón used her influential position as first lady to fight for women's suffrage and improve the lives of the poor and became an iconic figure around the world.
Visitors to Buenos Aires can discover Evita’s adopted city with several activities and events that celebrate and reflect on her legacy.
For those looking for a self-guided itinerary, Travel Buenos Aires provides a suggested walking tour following in the footsteps of Evita. The itinerary begins at the Grand Station where a young Evita began her journey in Buenos Aires before continuing to the former Central Buenos Aires Post Office, home of the reconstructed Sala Eva Perón which in 1946 served as the office of the then First Lady. The tour continues to the historic city square where Evita famously addressed the crowds from the balcony of the Casa Rosada, and the Facultad de Ingeniería where her body was kept on display for two years after her death, before visiting final resting place, Recoleta Cemetery and the Evita museum (Museo Evita).
On the 20th September Museo Evita launches a new temporary exhibition named Retratos de Familia. The exhibition displays numerous of the surviving portraits after La Revolución Libertadora of Eva Perón crafted by the renowned portraitist of the Duarte family, Numa Ayrinhac. Those visiting the exhibition can also enjoy the permanent display focused around the life of Evita. The exhibition takes visitors through the life of Evita chronologically from her childhood to the disease that led to her unexpected death.
Many visitors to Buenos Aires pay a visit to the grave of Eva Perón. The great figure is interred at the world famous Recoleta Cemetery known as the world’s greatest cemetery for its wonderous graves that are built above ground more akin to pieces of art than graves.
For a more in-depth guided experience, the Eva Perón Tour, is a half day bus and walking tour in Buenos Aires themed around the First lady of Argentina. The tour allows participants to learn about the heritage, culture and politics of Argentina through the legacy of Eva Perón. The tour also includes a visit to the Recoleta Cemetery.