Plaza de Mayo

Plaza de Mayo is the main area of political life in Buenos Aires. The modern plaza was formed in 1884 when the previous two plazas were demolished. The name, Plaza de Mayo, commemorates the May revolution in 1810 when they started to gain independence from Spain.

Since 1977, the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo have protested there. This is a group of Argentine mothers whose children disappeared during the Dirty War of the military dictatorship. In protests they wear white scarves with the name of their child's name embroidered on them to symbolize the blankets of the lost children. This group of women are there every Thursday.

When we went there a few weeks ago, we saw signs of protest such as in the picture to the right. While there are small, noisy demonstrations quite often,the plaza is also filled with people relaxing and sunbathing. It has become quite a popular tourist spot.

The most recognizable building at the square is called "Casa Rosada" also called "Casa de Gobierno". This is the pink government palace at the eastern end of the square. There are 2 possible explanations as to why the palace is pink in color.
One is that it blends the red and white colors of Argentina's opposing political parties. Another explanation is that the original paint was made with cow's blood to prevent damage from the humid climate. Regardless, it is a beautiful, very important building that has held several Argentine presidents and other historical figures. Even Madonna spent time there while filming the movie "Evita."

Casa Rosada