Evita

The Pink House is like our White House. The President doesn’t live there, they just do business in this house.

Eva Duarte came from a poor family, not because of her father, but because he died early and left her mother (his mistress) without means. The stigma that Eva faced because she was considered illegitimate under the Argentine laws was immense.

Eva came to Bueno Aires at 15 to begin an acting career. She worked on stage and on radio. She got to know Juan Perón who at that time was Secretary of Labor. She was 24, and he was 48 when they met.

Perón was a proponent of unions and was arrested in 1945 because of government fear of his strong support from those workers. Days later these supporters demonstrated in the plaza and Perón was released.

He and Eva were married in December 1945 and he won the Presidency by a landslide in 1946.

She helped with social relations in Europe after the war. Eva was thrilled when women were given the the right to vote and hold office in September of 1947.

The building where she started her foundation to care for orphans and homeless women is where her museum is located today.

Evita would not accept her husband’s offer for her to run as VP for his next term. She was ill with cancer and that was part of the reason why she declined.

Evita passed away on July 26, 1952 at 33 years old. The country mourned her death for two weeks. Her embalmed body was on display for two years and then it was hidden after Juan Perón was overthrown in 1955.

Evita’s body was moved around and it was a mystery as to where it was until 1971, when it was found in Milan. After Perón died in 1974 Eva’s body was moved back to Argentina and finally to it’s resting place in the LaRecoleta cemetery in Buenos Aires.

Evita” is a term of endearment by some of the Argentine people. They say that she is greatly loved and at the same time hated.

Eva said, “I watched for many years and saw how a few rich families held much of the wealth and power in their hands. So Perón and the government brought in an eight hour work day, sickness pay and fair wages to help the poor workers.”

The Recoleta cemetery covers 14 acres and contains about 5,000 vaults. Some bodies are buried underground and others can be seen in coffins within the vault. Evita is buried 8 feet below ground with a solid marble top.

As a side note, we had a discussion about voting and voter turn out. In Argentina they bring a voting card to vote and they stamp the card each time. If they don’t vote, then they can be fined. If the voter has a warrant, then they could be arrested when they vote. One would think that would never happen, but it does.