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The historic plaza in the center of Buenos Aires, Plaza de Mayo, contains a lot of interesting buildings and landmarks to keep you busy. The beautifully landscaped area always seems to be buzzing with some kind of excitement.
May Pyramid
In the center of the square, you’ll immediately notice a small obelisk. This is the May Pyramid (Pirámide de Mayo). It commemorates the May Revolution (Revolución de Mayo) in 1810 and was erected in 1811.
Las Malvinas Protests
You’ll also see lots of banners and signs referring to Las Malvinas (Falkland Islands). There is a small memorial near the center dedicated to the 1982 war with Britain. It’s still a major issue with most Argentinians.
Manuel Belgrano Monument
On the east side of the square is a monument to Manuel Belgrano, a revolutionary hero and the designer of the Argentinian flag.
Casa Rosada
The most prominent building on the square and perhaps Buenos Aires also sits on the east side. It’s called Casa Rosada (Pink House) and is the presidential palace of Argentina. It was built between 1862-1885 on the former site of Fuerte Viejo, the old fort of Buenos Aires. For many the building is most famous for when Eva Perón addressed her supporters from one of its balconies. Click here to read about my tour of the building.
Government Buildings
Clockwise from Casa Rosada are two government buildings, the Ministry of the Treasury and Federal Administration of Public Revenue (Administración Federal de Ingresos Públicos). Next to Public Revenue is Calle Defensa, which on Sundays hosts an open-air craft market that runs through the heart of Barrio Monserrat all the way to Plaza Dorrego in historic San Telmo.
Diagonal Sur
On the southwest corner at Diagonal Sur is the Gran Victoria, a famous restaurant, and the Palace of the Buenos Aires City Legislature (Palacio de la Legislatura de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires), the city legislature. The Palace of the Legislature was built between 1926-1931. Besides being a beautiful building, the clock tower is a really cool feature.
Responsible Consumption Fair
Between the two buildings is Avenida Roca, where the Responsible Consumption Fair (Feria de Consumo Responsable) takes place between 10am and 7pm every Sunday (as of April 2024). It’s a recycling fair promoting the use of green products and sellers of sustainable goods.
Cabildo de Buenos Aires
At the southwest end is one of the colonial buildings from Spanish rule, the Cabildo de Buenos Aires. It was built between 1725 and 1822 and now houses a museum about the May Revolution. Admission is free (as of April 2024) and it’s open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:30am to 6pm. It was kind of a waste of time and not very interesting for me, but I also had to pay admission when I visited.
Avenida de Mayo
Avenida de Mayo starts between the Cabildo and the Buenos Aires City Hall (Palacio Municipal de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires), the Buenos Aires city hall built in 1890. Next to it is the SGP of the Cabinet of Ministers Headquarters (SGP de la Jefatura de Gabinete de Ministros). It was formerly the Banco Argentino Uruguayo and was built in 1928.
Diagonal Norte
At the northwest corner of Plaza de Mayo, take a look down Diagonal Norte, one of the main arteries of Buenos Aires, and you’ll get a nice view of the Obelisk (Obelisco) on Avenida 9 de Julio.
Metropolitan Cathedral
The huge Neoclassical building on the northwest end of the plaza is the Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana). I was lucky to visit on the same day that Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII were declared saints. There were several members of the Polish community of Buenos Aires in traditional dress there to celebrate.
The gorgeous interior of the cathedral also contains a room holding the tomb of General José de San Martin, an Argentinian independence hero. He also played important roles in the independence of Perú and Chile. He died in France in 1850 and his remains were transported to Buenos Aires in 1880.
Banks
Continuing clockwise is BBVA Banco Frances, built in 1933. It was originally the New Italian Bank (Nuevo Banco Italiano). Finally, on the northwest corner of Plaza de Mayo is the massive Bank of the Argentine Nation (Banco de la Nación Argentina), built in 1943. It’s the national bank of Argentina and the biggest in the country.
Arab Cultural Festival
When I visited on a Sunday there was an Arab cultural festival on Avenida de Mayo. They had food, shopping, music, and dancing. I had a nice lunch there and enjoyed the entertainment.
