Plaza de Mayo only occupies the equivalent of two city blocks, but there isn’t a more important public space in the city or even the nation.
Site of the second foundation of Buenos Aires, Plaza de Mayo has witnessed cries for independence, civil strife, waves of immigration, Perón-inspired fervor & more than a few popular protests in recent years. There’s no better place to see the city’s past & present. But Plaza de Mayo does not reveal all its secrets at once.
Important background information provides the proper context. After all, the first foundation of Buenos Aires was hardly a success. In order to survive, starving settlers packed up, moved north & founded Asunción. But their abandoned settlement would be reborn from its ashes four decades later in Plaza de Mayo. Learn why Spaniards failed in 1536 & why they returned again in 1580.
The Spanish began to lose control of their South American territories when Buenos Aires broke away in 1810. Understand how & why this historic separation took place in the Cabildo (town hall) then spread throughout the entire continent. Nearby, the cathedral may have taken centuries to build, but the beautiful interior was worth the wait. Visit the mausoleum of independence hero José de San Martín, a mini-replica of the papal altar & a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Luján… with a unique memorial to Holocaust victims.
Argentina’s first civic monument, the Pirámide de Mayo, takes center stage in Plaza de Mayo. Loaded with national symbolism, its significance is equally important to the Madres de Plaza de Mayo who risked their lives marching around the pirámide during the last military dictatorship. Their story inspires, as does that of Azucena Villaflor, buried at the base of the monument. This guide also discusses the most impressive buildings on the plaza: the gargantuan Banco de la Nación & the recently restored Casa Rosada… even its bombing in 1955. In addition, this walk uncovers the first customs house (partially excavated), the original Congress building (hidden today) & brings to life the Recova Vieja (old marketplace) that was demolished in 1883.
Exclusive content: Opening in 2011, the Museo del Bicentenario takes visitors on a fascinating journey through Argentina’s past 200 years. But exhibits are only in Spanish, so we’ve mapped out the museum & explain the gorgeous Siqueiros mural on display. Original maps & artwork help visualize the plaza’s development over time.
PDF guide
There are only 12 points of interests covered, but they are historically important & have changed significantly over the years. Lots of detail on this walk:
Price: US $7.99 via PayPal. A link to download the PDF will appear after payment is confirmed. It’s a simple process, but be sure to hit the “Complete Transaction” button after payment to see the download link. Use Adobe Acrobat Reader to open & print the file.
Duration: The route takes about 3 hours to see everything at a leisurely pace. More time will be needed to visit museums. Several cafés can be found near the plaza to rest & recharge.
Format: A4 landscape, 32 pages. Our largest guide yet! This guide may not be redistributed, resold or reprinted.
Release date: 15 Jan 2012.
Suggestions:
- Given the amount of text, read through the entire walk before setting out.
- Due to its location in the center of downtown, Plaza de Mayo is most active during regular business hours (10:00—18:00) which is also the best time to visit. Banks generally close at 15:00, so the flow of people diminishes afterwards.
- Have fun & enjoy the walk!
Kindle Fire version
Like e-books? Endless Mile does… in fact, we like them enough to develop our own for the Kindle Fire. While this e-book version of the Plaza de Mayo guide maintains the same content & design as the PDF above, it also incorporates dozens of high-quality photographs. One of the Kindle Fire’s best assets is its display, & the Plaza de Mayo e-book takes full advantage of it. Sure, any Kindle reader can be used (be aware there will be some changes in formatting), but this release is optimized for the Fire. In fact, there are few e-books on the market with so much attention to design & detail, offering a fantastic learning experience.
Price: US $4.99 via PayPal. A link to download the .mobi file will appear after payment is confirmed. The process is simple, but be sure to hit the “Complete Transaction” button after payment to see the download link. Then transfer the file via USB cable to your Kindle Fire.
Format: MOBI, 13.1 Mb. This guide may not be redistributed, copied or resold.
Release date: 30 Aug 2012.
Special features:
- All images & graphics are optimized for the Kindle Fire. Remember to double-tap any image then pinch-zoom for more detail.
- The master map is easy to reach from several places in the e-book. It is located at the beginning plus there is direct access via the table of contents at the end or tapping the name of a point of interest (for example, the text “Plaza Colón in the image above).
- Play a bit with the navigation features & configuration before using the e-book in Plaza de Mayo. Examples above are shown with the Caecilia font, maximum line spacing & minimal margins… but make it easy to read for you!
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