Page 40 - All About History - Issue 11-14

The revolutionary heart of Argentina, End here
Argentina O
embodying a legacy of protests,
Buenos Aires O
uprisings, violence and an 08

ongoing struggle for justice

Plaza de Mayo has been a
centre for political activism
in Argentina since 1810

01

Start here

01 Revolucion de Mayo
In May 1810, a series of events unfolded
in Buenos Aries that would change
Argentina forever and see it break from its
colonial ruler, Spain. The May Revolution
coincided with the Napoleonic occupation
of Spain, which ousted Ferdinand VII. The
square was a focus of the uprising due to
its proximity to the Cabildo, the city’s colonial
headquarters, which are still standing today. The
Piramide de Mayo, which dominates the Plaza, was
constructed by one of the first independent juntas in the
city to commemorate the revolution.
02 THE BOMBED PLAZA

On 16 June 1955, an air strike on the 03 Champion of Argentina
The monument to Manuel Belgrano –
presidential palace killed over 300 people in considered one of the country’s main
liberators – was inaugurated in 1873, on the
and around Plaza de Mayo, mostly civilians. anniversary of his famous victory at the
Battle of Tucuman that took place on 24
Shrapnel damage from the air strike can still be and 25 September 1812. The battle was part
of the Argentine War of Independence.
seen on many of the buildings surrounding the Plaza.
40