Friday’s adventure was an interesting cultural experience as we explored two of the most prolific art collections I have ever seen. Our first stop was the National Museum of Fine Arts, a collection of 215 permanent works of art housed in one of the most heavily guarded places we’ve been so far. With an art history general education class under my belt, I was able to appreciate some of the Renaissance and Impressionist works displayed in the gallery and other works that were inspired by Carravagio, Van Gogh, and Pueyrredon. My favorite Pueyrredon work was a larger than life sized portrait of Manuelita Rosas, a revered Argentinian political figure and daughter of Juan Manuel de Rosas. I learned that Pueyrredon was a key figure in the design and fabrication of the May Pyramid in Plaza de Mayo, a monument that has been at the center of our adventures in Buenos Aires. In the contemporary collection, I enjoyed that the pieces focused on great detail but when you took a step back the artwork revealed a completely different pictures. My favorite piece from the contemporary collection, for obvious reasons, was a piece entitled “Escuchando a Bruce Springsteen.”

Our second stop was a collection of artwork in the National Museum of Decorative Arts which was housed in a French style mansion that was designed to be the retirement quarters for a wealthy Latin American military family. I thought it was interesting to see the size and intricacy of 19th and early 20th century mansion; the building looked like something from a Disney fairytale yet it was completed in 1916. This place, just as the MNBA, was heavily guarded which I found to be interesting given the minimum security nature of some of the museums and historical sites in the United States. There was somewhat of an artwork overload in this collection which made it difficult for me to able to take everything in.

Overall it was a very interesting day that ended with dinner at the local shopping center Kentucky Fried Chicken. The steak and Italian food has been wonderful, but sometimes you just need that unique taste of home!

Today, we had the opportunity to visit the country’s national archives and learn about the history of the railroad in the country and view the extensive preservation and storage process for historical documents and photos that tell the good and bad of the country’s story. Railroads in Argentina, just as in the United States, played a large role in the spread of people and ideas during the late 19th and 20th centuries and is currently the 8th largest network in the world. Argentina, despite its rich history, is still developing as country in terms of infrastructure. The building where the archives are stored was very humid and lacked a reasonable ventilation system to create an environment suitable for storage of the delicate items.

The most interesting part of the day for me was the opportunity to tour the area around La Casa Rosada and Plaza de Mayo. We had the opportunity to see remnants of the 1955 bombing of Plaza de Mayo, an act orchestrated by the Argentine Navy and Air Force as they opposed the Juan Perón era of government. One of the interesting things I have realized about Argentina’s government and its relationship with the people. Argentinians have great national pride and loyalty despite its recent legacy of dictatorship and political corruption. One of the buildings in Plaza de Mayo has never been restored from its damage from the bombings in order to remember the event and honor the lives lost in the tragedy.

I have realized that the city of Buenos Aires is very unique because it shares a personal history and the history of the nation. While exploring Plaza de Mayo, we had the opportunity to watch the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo march for answers to the disappearance of their children during the “Dirty War” period. Many people marched in solidarity with the mothers as they chanted and sang around the May Pyramid in the center of the plaza. It was interesting to witness this because of the events taking place in the United States right now as people of color are searching for answers and a resolution to a culture of state violence. It brings up a question of if things will ever be solved if these women are still searching for answers from their government over 30 years later.

On the bright side, it was a beautiful day in the city. We had the opportunity to see people on their morning commute to work, children on field trips, tango street performers, and people doing yoga in the park. Overall, Buenos Aires is a vibrant city and I look forward to uncovering more of the culture in the upcoming days.