History and Architecture along the Avenida de Mayo

The Argentine National Congress building stands opposite the Casa Rosada on the other end of the Avenida de Mayo. The building is bicameral with a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies.

The building was designed by Italian Vittorio Meano and completed by Argentine Julio Dormal in 1906, but the final details were not completed until 1946.

The Plaza in front of the Congress building was inaugurated in 1910 and remains a popular place for political protests and rallies, with many marches starting at the Plaza de Mayo continuing along the Avenida de Mayo and ending here. On an average day, you may see several different marches along the Avenida de Mayo for various causes.

In this plaza you can find one of the few casts of Rodin's The Thinker, which was added in 1907.

The Avenida de Mayo connects the National Congress building with the Plaza de Mayo and Casa Rosada, and was named in honor of the May Revolution of 1810 which lead to Argentina's independence from Spain.
It is difficult not to compare this grand thoroughfare to other great boulevards around such world, such as those in Paris, Madrid, and Barcelona.

This avenue is home to many famous buildings and architecture and home to many important historical events in Argentina's history, and continues to be the primary venue for protests, demonstrations, and celebrations.

The Palacio Barolo was designed by Italian architect Mario Palanti who finished the building in 1923. Palanti was strongly inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy and built in many allusions to show his admiration for the famous poet. The 22 floors are divided into 3 sections, representing the three books of the Divine Comedy: the Inferno/Hell (the basement and ground floor), Purgatory (floors 1-14) and Paradise/Heaven (floors 15-22). The entire building stands 100 meters tall; one meter for each of the 100 cantos.

Upon completion the Palacio Barolo was the tallest building in all of South America and kept the title until 1935 when it was overshadowed by the Kavanagh Building near Plaza San Martin. Today it is used as a simple office building with law offices, a language school, and a theater.

This extremely wide road honors Argentina's Independence day (July 9, 1816), and is claimed to be the widest road in all the world (this isn't true, but don't let a Porteno hear you say that). At this intersection you can see the road honoring the start of the revolution and the and the beginning of independence. At its widest point, it was seven lanes in each direction along with pedestrian walkways and parks on either side, and you can spot the famous iconic Obelisk to the north.

Cafe Tortoni was opened in 1858 and moved to its present-day location in 1880. Its main entrance was on the other side of the building until the Avenida de Mayo entrance was opened in 1898 and redecorated.

This cafe has attracted many famous people over the years, with Jorge Luis Borges--the famous Argentine writer--being one of the most-cited.

The decor from the early years remains, and although the line can be long, it is worth a trip in side to step back 100 years and take an extended break over a cappuccino.

The A line was not only the first subway line in Buenos Aires, but the first in all of South America. Today you can take a trip to the past by visiting the famous Peru station which has been restored as the original station once looked with wooden columns and colorful paintings on the walls. The old wooden cars are very well preserved and provide for a fun (and cheap) experience.

The Plaza de Mayo (May Square) is the main square in downtown Buenos Aires and named after the revolution of May 25, 1810 that led to independence in 1816.

In colonial times, this area was used as the Plaza de Armas for military exercises, and has always been a significant place for politics and history in Buenos Aires.

The plaza was home to mass demonstrations on October 17, 1945 to release General Juan Perón from prison. Perón later went on to become President of Argentina and start the Peronist movement along with his beloved wife Eva (known to many as Evita). On Jun e16, 1955 the plaza was bombed in an attempt to overthrow Perón, killing 364.

Today the plaza is surrounded by many famous buildings and is a popular starting points for many tourists, as 3 subte lines end here.

This white building on the western edge of the Plaza de Mayo was once the original government house during Buenos Aires's colonial times. This building has remained on the same plot since 1580 but has undergone several significant renovations since. Today it houses the National Museum of the Cabildo and the May Revolution, showcasing paintings, clothing, and jewelry from the 18th century.

Around the Piramide de Mayo you will likely see white objects painted on the ground. These write scarves represent those worn by the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo who mourn for their lost children during a dark time in Argentina's recent history.

From 1976 to 1983 Argentina experienced the Dirty War until military dictatorship. Thousands of left-wing activists and their very young children and family members disappeared in the nights and were either killed or raised by military families loyal to the dictatorship. Under military rule, newspapers and other forms of communication were censored and no one learned of the extent of the killings and kidnappings.

At the time, it was against the law to congregate in groups, as it was considered a "gang", so on April 30, 1977 14 women began the demonstration by forming small, separate groups around the central pyramid, as to not break any laws. They wore white scarves on their heads symbolizing the cloth diapers and blankets of their lost children.

Since then they continue to congregate every Thursday afternoon to remind Argentina of their unfortunate past so as not to repeat it.

On the eastern side of the Plaza de Mayo stands the Casa Rosada (The Pink House), the presidential house of Argentina (although the President does't live here, and rarely visits).

The Casa Rosada has an interesting history: it started as a fort in 1536 before the city was founded in 1580. The fort was altered and replaced throughout the years until it was replaced with a New Customs House in 1855. In 1873 a Post Office was built nearby, which looked much more impressive and significant compared the older Customs House. Eventually, the two buildings were combined into the building that you see today with a large archway in the middle.

During Domingo Faustino Sarmiento's administration (1868-1874) it was painted pink, and has remained so ever since.

Perhaps the most famous part of the entire building is the balcony, for its role in the history of Buenos Aires. Contrary to many stories, Eva Peron (Evita) never said, "Don't Cry for me Argentina", but she did stand by her husband Juan Peron during his speeches which were given from this balcony over crowds stretching far down the Avenida de Mayo. It was also from this balcony that she told her country she would not run for office, even though they wanted her to, and reveled the unfortunate news of a fatal tumor that claimed her young life and left the city mourning.

The Metropolitan Cathedral is the main Catholic church in Buenos Aires and the mother church of the Archdiocese. Since its first construction it has been rebuilt and renovated several times which is quite apparent by its contrasting architectural styles; from the front it looks more like a government building than a place of worship. The nave and dome are from the 18th-century, the facade from the 19th-century, and the interior contains both Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Baroque decorations.

The largest attraction inside is the Mausoleum of General San Martin, who you will no doubt hear about many times during your time in Buenos Aires for his role in Argentine Independence.