Plaza de Mayo & Microcentro

Argentina's political heart since 1580, witness to revolutions, military coups, Peronist rallies, and the silent marches of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo who walked here every Thursday from 1977 demanding answers about their children 'disappeared' by the military junta. The Piramide de Mayo (1811) at the center is Buenos Aires' oldest monument. Eva Peron addressed massive crowds from the Casa Rosada balcony. The white head scarves painted on the pavement honor the Mothers, now in their 90s, some still marching.

The Mothers still march on Thursdays at 3:30 PM. The Cabildo on the west side has a free museum about the 1810 May Revolution.

Argentina's presidential palace, painted pink since the 1870s — legend says President Sarmiento mixed white (Federalist) and red (Unitarian) paint to symbolize political unity, though the pink likely came from bovine blood mixed into whitewash, a common practice. The balcony facing Plaza de Mayo is the most politically charged in South America — Peron, Evita, Maradona (after the 1986 World Cup), and every Argentine president has appeared here. The building sits atop the ruins of the original 1594 fort. Free weekend tours explore the underground museum and presidential halls.

Free guided tours on weekends reveal the underground museum with archaeological remains of the original fort and customs house. Book online.