Day 8 in Buenos Aires! We started the day with going back to La Boca to enjoy the neighborhood and do some shopping. The weather was perfect and it was very lively. It was fun seeing the area bustling with more vendors, more people walking around, and music. After coming back from La Boca, around 1:30, we started a walking tour of the city starting from our hotel. We first walked to a nearby statue of a San Martin, who was an Argentine general and the primary leader for Argentinas independence. We walked along Plaza San Martin to another landmark I enjoyed seeing: Torre Monumental. It is a historical clock tower, built as a gift from the British residents to celebrate the May Revolution. It is inspired by English Elizabethan Renaissance style, and has the same bell chimes as the Big Ben in London. We walked for about 2 hours, visiting many more historical landmarks. We then visited a beautiful church, called Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar. The design of the church was very Spanish-inspired. We then took a tour of the famous cemetery next to the church, called Recoleta Cemetery. The cemetery had elaborate mausoleums and is the resting place of many notable figures, including Evita. The cemetery was captivating and it was definitely a key part of today. Recoleta has a huge flea market, that focuses on hand made items by very talented artisans of Argentina. There were so many vendors, we spent hours walking around and still did not visit all of them. Today was a great day exploring more of the city and learning more about the history. I especially enjoyed seeing the incorporation of diverse architectural styles, reflecting the city’s heritage and influence of different European styles.

After learning about the Argentine healthcare system and Argentine history, I have understood that Juan Peron had a huge impact. He expanded access to care and embedded health as a social right within his broader vision of social justice and labor empowerment. Peron created the ministry of health, which still stands today, centralizing authority to oversee public health policies. Most importantly, he expanded access to free medical services, by making public healthcare free to the people. Peron also institutionalized the Obras Sociales system, which provides millions of workers with guaranteed healthcare coverage. It gives labor unions authority to run their own health insurance programs for workers. He also supported the Eva Peron Foundation’s health programs, that helped to build hospitals, clinics, and homes for the poor. During his time in presidency, Peron made a huge impact due to his focus on labor rights and social justice. Peron’s administration transformed healthcare from a privilege to a right, combining state investment, labor empowerment, and social welfare to create a more inclusive and accessible system. Many of these aspects of still exist today.