Iguazu Falls, Buenos Aires, Mendoza

TLDR: Meat, meat, tango, meat, wine. My last semester project was on Argentine history so I was very excited to visit Buenos Aires. Military dictatorships, Peronism, the love of Evita, and desaparecidos.

Quick recommendation: Went on a self-conducted winery bike tour with hostel friends in Mendoza. We ended up getting quite tipsy while riding bikes. Really great time!

Read more below!

Having done my final project on Argentina in the last semester of university, it was great to see history come to life. Most interesting topics: the military dictatorships and the desaparecidos. In short, Argentina went through political dictatorships and military coups since the 18oo’s. It was very 2 sided up until Juan Peron took office (leveraging military experience and network, of course) with his wife.

Now, why would the country that had been split wealthy/poor, rural/urban, europeanized/immigrants, be a fan of another military president? It’s because this power couple fought for workers rights. With the help of Eva Peron (the First-Lady), workers were able to create labor unions, obtain a minimum wage law, and an 8 hr work day was established. The working and lower class absolutely loved this lady.

NOW CRAZY FACTS. When she died, Juan decided it would be fine to bury her in front of a labor union’s headquarters (or something like that) because they all loved her, and they accepted the idea. She was there UNTIL the military president that kicked the Peron’s out (they were becoming too liberal and the conservative military/wealthy class wanted them out before things got too equal) said that he didn’t want any Peron on Argentinian land. Juan was already in exile. Eva? They dug her up, kept here in a filing cabinet for like a few months, and then buried her in Italy somewhere where no one could find her. Years and years went past and eventually, the local population demanded to have her back…so they flew here back to Argentina and buried her in the Recoleta cemetery amongst her enemies (the conservatives/wealthy class).

Another crazy story: During the same period, after the Peron’s were ousted, a 7 year period called La Guerra Sucia ensued in which the military basically kidnapped anyone and everyone who was against the regime…in broad day light. There were kidnapping cells everywhere around the city, one of which I visited. It was said that the kidnapped could hear the cars in the streets and the ’78 world cup at the stadium close by but were blindfolded and tortured 24/7. The women who were pregnant – their child would be given to military families as they were killed. People were drugged and dropped out of planes with rocks around their feet in the Rio Plata. Political genocide. This class was truly eye opening and shocking.