Argentina (Buenos Aires)
Plaza de Mayo and around
If there is one place that could lay claim to most of Buenos Aires’ historical moments, it is the Plaza de Mayo. It’s been bombed, filled by Evita’s poorest and most devoted supporters, the so-called descamisados, or "shirtless ones" and is still the site of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo’s weekly parade. This group was formed in 1977 by the mothers and grandmothers of people who had been "disappeared" by the 1976-1983 dictatorship, and since then it has been actively reuniting the children of missing people with their real families and bringing human rights violations to justice. Their route is marked by headscarves painted on the ground around the central Pirámide de Mayo, which was erected to commemorate the 1810 Revolution, precursor to Argentina’s declaration of Independence in 1816. Perón, Maradona and Galtieri have also addressed the crowds from the balcony of the Casa Rosada, the pink governmental palace that occupies the eastern end of the square and which - when seen bathed in evening light and framed by the square’s towering palm trees - seems to have walked straight off the pages of a Latin American novel.
At the far end of the square is the Cabildo, the only public civil building to have survived from colonial times. Despite Italianate remodelling, its simple lines, green-and-white-shuttered façade and arched front, or recova, stand in stark contrast to the more ornate public buildings which have been constructed around it. To the right is the columned façade of the Catedral Metropolitana, somehow more reminiscent of a bank or museum than a cathedral, and home to the mortal remains of "El Libertador", General Jose de San Martín, the hero of the struggle for Independence.

Heading south from Plaza de Mayo takes you into the oldest part of the city. A good starting point for delving into its grid of narrow streets is Defensa, named in honour of its residents who poured boiling oil on English troops as they marched down it during the British Invasions of 1806-1807. On the corner of Alsina and Defensa stands the Iglesia de San Francisco, which was burnt by angry Perónists in March 1955 after the navy had bombed a trade union demonstration in Plaza de Mayo. The protest was called to show support for Perón in his conflict with the Church - a conflict which proved a major factor in his forced resignation in September of the same year. The church was restored and officially reopened in 1967.

The Museo de la Ciudad at Alsina 412 (Mon-Fri 11am-7pm Sun 3-7pm; US$1, free Wed) is situated in a beautiful old private residence with a tiled entrance hall and high windows. It’s an imaginative, though small, museum with regularly changing exhibitions illustrating various aspects of porteño life.

The block bounded by Alsina, Perú, Moreno and Bolívar, west of Defensa, is known as the Manzana de las Luces or the "Block of Enlightenment" (US$3.50; closed Dec-Feb; ask at Perú 272 for details of guided visits). Originally occupied by the Jesuits in 1662, it has housed numerous official institutions throughout its history. Today it is home to the elite Colegio Nacional and Buenos Aires’s oldest church, San Ignacio. Opposite is one of the city’s best bookshops, the Librería del Avila (Alsina 500) with a great selection of books on Buenos Aires.

Heading back to Defensa, on the corner with Avenida Belgrano, you’ll see the Basílica de Santo Domingo, with its display of flags from the English regiments captured by General Liniers and dedicated to the Virgen del Rosario.