Our day began with a beautiful city tour of Buenos Aires. We got to explore La Boca, the lively neighborhood filled with colorful streets and its iconic stadium that is said to hold around seventy thousand people. Our tour guide pointed out an especially powerful piece of wall art honoring the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo. They were women who protested the disappearance of their children during Argentina’s dictatorship. Just around the corner, we found ourselves viewing the stadium and the surrounding community, where there are bold blue and yellow colors proudly displayed as a tribute to Boca Juniors, the beloved local football team.
Soon after we made our way to San Telmo, which was one of Buenos Aires oldest neighborhoods. With its cobblestone streets it encompassed a lot of antique shops and historic architecture. We got to step inside and see the oldest pharmacy in Argentina which is almost 200 years old now. It is still in operation where it seems to have preserved most of its original furniture, artwork and architecture. We hopped on a bus a little while later and arrived at Plaza de Mayo which is seemingly the heart of the city. Facing the square is Casa Rosada or the Pink House where the Argentine president works. In front of the house is a permanent tribute site with rocks inscribed with the names of the country’s COVID victims for those who lost loved ones. We wrapped up our day with a graffiti tour of Palermo where each mural and piece of work had different styles and techniques speaking to the variety of artists. Sometimes murals display new shows or movies releasing soon since that’s their way to attract people and viewers.
After learning about Argentina’s History, I noticed that there were some parallels and differences that could be drawn between American History and Argentina’s History. Both countries are democracies, shaped by independence movements and built by waves of immigrants seeking new opportunities. They both became a melting pot of cultures and democratic ideals. Although the US maintained a relatively stable political system in the past, Argentina has experienced a series of military coups and authoritarian regimes. Despite this difference, both nations have demonstrated a commitment to preserving and remembering their history.
Fact of the day: In 2011, there was the Meeting of Styles Buenos Aires where Argentina saw around 130 street artists take part in a city wide urban art festival in the Buenos Aires city over a three day period.
