The Casa Rosada stands out for its facade, painted a pale, chalky pink that covers the entire building. It serves as the seat of the executive branch of the Argentine government. In eighteen ninety-eight, President Julio Roca ordered the…
Plaza de Mayo Political History
This walk traces Argentina's turbulent path to democracy, starting at the iconic Casa Rosada and ending at the National Congress. You will stand in the public squares where citizens have gathered for generations to shape the nation's destiny through protest and celebration.
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1. Casa Rosada
2. Plaza de Mayo
The Plaza de Mayo features a white, needle-like obelisk at its center, known as the Pirámide de Mayo. This square serves as the political heart of Buenos Aires, where the Casa Rosada occupies the eastern end. In nineteen seventy-seven,…
3. Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral
The Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral features a neoclassical facade with twelve massive Corinthian columns, representing the twelve apostles. While it functions as the mother church of the Archdiocese, its most arresting feature sits…
4. Museo Nacional del Cabildo
The Museo Nacional del Cabildo features a long, whitewashed facade with a distinct arched arcade and a central tower overlooking the Plaza de Mayo. This building served as the seat of the Spanish colonial government in Buenos Aires. During…
5. Café Tortoni
The dark mahogany walls and stained glass ceilings of Café Tortoni belong to a nineteenth century vision of a Parisian cafe dropped into the heart of Buenos Aires. French immigrant Touan opened these doors in eighteen fifty-eight, naming…
6. Palacio Barolo
The Palacio Barolo climbs twenty-two stories of ornate, concrete wedding-cake layers, topped by a lighthouse that pierces the Buenos Aires skyline. Architect Mario Palanti designed the building in nineteen nineteen for textile magnate Luis…
7. Congreso de la Nación Argentina
The Congreso de la Nación Argentina features a massive central dome clad in oxidized copper that turns the building a distinct, weathered green against the city skyline. It serves as the seat of the country’s legislative branch.…