Culture

Review: The Evita Museum Obscures Peronist History

The Peróns drove the economy of Argentina into the ground, but that doesn't mean they've gone down in history as villains.

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mini_ecitamuseum | Photo: Museo Evita; Travel Buenos Aires
(Photo: Museo Evita; Travel Buenos Aires)

"Miss me with this St. Evita shit," I thought as I wandered through Buenos Aires' Museo Evita, stoned out of my mind, back in 2015.

For the blessedly uninitiated, Eva Perón was the wife of Juan Perón, Argentina's highly charismatic populist leader in the 1940s and '50s (and again, briefly, in the '70s). The movement that bears their name has won 10 of the last 14 presidential elections in which it's been permitted onto the ballot.

The Peróns drove the economy of Argentina into the ground, but that doesn't mean they've gone down in history as villains. Museo Evita is a big part of the problem, acting like Perón's career as a film actress, her beautiful dresses, and her work on behalf of the poor and underprivileged are the only things worth mentioning about her. Even a strong joint couldn't rid me of the feeling that if the cult of Perón hadn't destroyed the whole economy, all this work on behalf of the poor might not have been needed. … [Subscribe to continue reading]

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