Just Like A Muse to Me: The Museo Evita

No trip to Argentina is complete for a gay man – or woman – without paying tribute to the one and only Evita herself, Eva Perón. Whether you consider her a saint or the woman Imelda Marcos modeled herself after, she was a legend in her own time.

Museo Evita was on the short list of what I wanted to see in Buenos Aires during my five-day trip. I have always been fascinated by Argentina’s former first lady; from her rise to fame to her spectacular and -often-imitated fashion sense.
The museum details the life of Mrs. Perón through films, photographs and a wide array of personal items and memorabilia from the era of her greatest influence. Let’s just tell it like it is: Her dresses and accessories are breathtaking. They are displayed on mannequins, and you can inspect every lustrous detail.

The museum is centrally located just a bit outside of town at Lafinur 2988, C1425FAB CABA. From what I remember, it’s only a $4 cab ride from the center of town. The building, a former mansion, is in a very quiet neighborhood surrounded by homes.
The staff are renowned for their congeniality – even the security guards will impart what they can to add to your experience of knowing both history and the closest Argentina will ever come to actual royalty in residence. Here, you can linger as long as you like with dreams of Evita on a balcony dancing in your head, but the tour itself takes no more than an hour.

I was told that the exhibits do rotate – Perón had more dresses than the venue has room to showcase them, so even repeated visits are often rewarded with something new to dazzle the eye. The exhibits are fascinating and sometimes accompanied by placards in English or videos that add to a sense of time and place long gone by.

Enjoy new highlights of travel photographer Edwin Santiago’s journeys each week.