In Depth

The Madres: A Union of a Mother's Pain -- The Madres de Plaza de Mayo was formed in 1976, with the concept in mind that even the cruelest man can identify with a mother's pain in trying to find her missing child. The military government that came into power that year, after the fall of Perón's third wife Isabel's administration, began what it called a reorganization of society based largely on making up lists of suspected socialist dissidents and making them essentially disappear. Estimates range from 13,000 to 30,000 desaparecidos, or disappeared ones, mostly young people who were kidnapped, tortured, and murdered during this era. Many of the bodies were thrown naked into the Atlantic rather than buried so that they could never be found or identified. The children of the dead were given out as gifts to military families who had none of their own. This era of murdering people for their political beliefs was called the Guerra Sucia (Dirty War). It did not end until the collapse of the military government upon Argentina's loss of the Islas Malvinas/Falkland Islands War in June of 1982.

It is easy to think of the dead as statistics and the mothers as simply a curiosity for tourists and history buffs, but this terrible chapter of Argentina's history is far from closed. Unfortunately, both young Argentines who have no recollection of this period as well as old Argentines involved in the murders wish the mothers would simply go away. Still, though many of the original mothers have died, their work goes on.

Their work was extremely dangerous, and the mothers were themselves threatened. The first gatherings of the Madres in Plaza de Mayo took place on Saturdays in April 1977. However, since there weren't many people around the plaza on weekends, they changed their meeting day to Thursday. It was only then that other citizens started becoming aware of what was going on. Realizing the power the Madres began to wield, the government started arresting them.

Eventually they were told by the government they could march so long as they spoke to no one. This tradition continues today with the silent main march around the Pirámide de Mayo, called "La Marcha de la Resistencia." Pañuelos (handkerchiefs) are painted in a circle surrounding the Pirámide. Mothers write the names of their children on the handkerchiefs and wear them on their heads, in the hopes someone would know their children's whereabouts.

After the military regime fell out of power in 1982, with the loss of the Islas Malvinas/Falkland Islands War with the U.K., little was done to bring the murderers to justice. In fact, under President Ménem during the 1990s, immunity was granted to many and there were few investigations. Still, the Madres never stopped marching. With Néstor Kirchner's winning of the presidency in 2003, the Madres have found new hope, and investigations have been reopened. He also removed immunity for politicians who tortured and murdered dissidents. There are different schools of thought regarding the mothers. Even they argue about whether economic reparations, monuments, and museums will bring an end to the dispute, or if they should push to continue investigations to ensure that the murderers are finally brought to trial. Yet no matter what is each mother's ultimate goal, the fight goes on for all of them.

Evita Perón: Woman, Wife, Icon -- Maria Eva Duarte de Perón, known the world over as Evita, captured the imagination of millions of Argentines because of her social and economic programs for the working classes. An illegitimate child of a wealthy businessman, she was born in Los Toldos, deep in the province of Buenos Aires. At 15, she moved to the capital to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress. She achieved moderate success, but was known more for her striking beauty than for her talent. In 1944, she met Colonel Juan Perón, a rising figure in the Argentine government during a volatile period in the country's history. They married in 1945 and Evita became an important part of his presidential campaign.

Once Perón took office, she created the Eva Perón Foundation, which redirected funds traditionally controlled by Argentina's elite to programs benefiting hospitals, schools, homes for the elderly, and various charities. In addition, she raised wages for union workers, leading to the eventual growth of the Argentine middle class, and she succeeded in realizing women's right to vote in 1947. When Evita died of cancer on July 26, 1952, the working classes tried (unsuccessfully) to have her canonized. She is buried in the Recoleta Cemetery, in her father's family's tomb. She is one of only a few nonaristocratic figures in this most elite of final resting places.

You will find that even today there is considerable disagreement among Argentines over Evita's legacy. Members of the middle and lower classes tend to see her as a national hero, while many of the country's upper classes believe she stole money from the wealthy and used it to embellish her own popularity. Since the 50th anniversary of her death, the establishment of the Museo Evita, and the return of the Peronist party to power, her role in the country's history has been revisited far less emotionally.

Men in Uniform -- The Changing of the Guard -- Watching the changing of the guard throughout historical sites in Buenos Aires is part of the fun of visiting. Many tourists take particular delight in photographing these men in early-19th-century military clothing parading through Plaza de Mayo on their way to their next station. But did you know there is more than one kind of guard? Granaderos guard national monuments such as the San Martín Mausoleum and the Casa Rosada. Patricios guard Buenos Aires city-owned buildings, such as the Municipal Palace and the Cabildo. Both dress in historical costumes dating from the beginning of the 1800s Napoleonic era. The Patricios represent the oldest branch of the military and were originally formed before the country's independence, in response to British attacks on Buenos Aires. Granaderos were formed after independence. If they're not in front of a building, you can also tell the difference between the guards by the pants they wear: white for Patricios, and blue for Granaderos. The Islas Malvinas-Falkland Islands Monument in Plaza San Martín is guarded by the three branches of the military, the Navy, Air Force, and the Army. Wearing a mix of historical and contemporary uniforms, each branch rotates, holding the honor for a 2-week cycle.