Eva Duarte Perón

-Actress, Singer, Model, User of Men, 1st Lady of Argentina

Her Early Life

• Born May 7, 1919 on the rolling plains known as the Pampas

• Pampas- home to the Gaucho- Argentine cowboy

• Illegitimate daughter• At age 15 met Augustine

McGauldy who took her to Buenos Aires

• Eva used a series of men to promote her career.• Worked as a model• Bleached her hair blonde – then her career really took off• Worked on radio soap operas

Juan y Eva

• Eva met Juan Perón at a benefit in 1944.

• In Oct. 1945 Perón was imprisoned by the president because he was so popular with the common people or “descamisados”- they protested for his release.

• Married- Oct. 1945 • First time Evita felt

legitimate• 1946- Perón was

elected President :-raised wages-extremely popular-but also becoming a dictator

Machismo

• It greatly irritated the men in power that a woman was in control/ ruling over some men.

• How did she know about “being something more/ other than she really was”?

• She was an actress!

The Rainbow Tour, 1947

The Rainbow Tour, 1947

• Spain- welcomed• Italy- not• France- kind of• England- not• Greatly welcomed home

to Argentina

Eva Perón Foundation

• She helped the poor from her Labor Office personally.

• Evita City- over 4000 furnished homes were built for the poor

• She became the “Patron Saint of the Poor”

• Anything she did, she did for her husband. How did this benefit her too?

Ciudad Evita, Argentina

Other tidbits…

• 1947- women received the right to vote

• She was the “bond” between the government and the people.

• Anyone opposed to Perón was exiled or imprisoned.

• She and Juan never had any children.

A woman Vice President???

• 1951- She “agreed” to run for V.P. with her husband, but the military said “NO!”

Don’t Cry For Me Argentina

• Died- July 26, 1952 from uterine cancer

• Both of Peron’s wives died from the same cancer.

• In modern times, what could you compare Evita’s death to?

• Kennedy, Princess Diana

¡Qué raro!

• She was embalmed so that she would never decay- as a symbol of the everlasting Peronismo

• Perón carried her body on tour during his re-election campaign.

• She was buried in Italy because they thought her body would be stolen.

• Now buried in Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires

• To Argentina she was Santa Evita

• 1972- Perón was re-elected

• His 3rd wife (Isabel) did become the V.P.