The Woman Who Charmed A Nation

Six decades after her death, memories of Eva Peron are still fresh for her millions of fans, fascinated by her dizzying social climb to the height of power and her dogged fight for the poor.

Evita’s July 26, 1952 death at the age of 33 shocked the nation, though some in wealthy neighbourhoods welcomed the end of “that woman” whom they never called by name.

A myth was born that made a dent on Argentine politics forever, leaving an indelible mark on the national collective consciousness; her rise from poverty to the Pink House presidential manse underscored her enduring political message: “I deserve to make it, and so do you.”

Even today, President Cristina Kirchner regularly cites Evita, and displays a photograph in her office of Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, the glamorous second wife of President Juan Peron.

“In just five years of political life − a period as intense as it was brief − she was very active in community work and women’s right to vote,” historian Felipe Pigna said.

“There is her youth but also her aura of innocence, as she never had official responsibilities.”

Over 30,000 copies of Pigna’s biography Jirones de su Vida (Bits of Her Life), about her ascent from street to chic and power, have sold in less than a month.

A musical on Broadway in New York City, Alan Parker’s 1996 film featuring Madonna and the captivating novel by Tomas Eloy Martinez Santa Evita (Saint Evita) have all kept the legend alive.

But when it comes to Evita, reality often stumps fiction, as illustrated by the millions of people who poured into the streets for a glimpse at her coffin after her death.

Evita met Peron during a festival in 1944.

The following year, Peron launched a movement that governed Argentina for over 30 years and now again.

He had three terms as President (1946-52, 1952-55 and 1973-74).

When they first met, Eva Duarte was already a well-known radio soap opera actress. She left her native city of Los Toldos at the age of 15 to flee poverty, follow her dreams or join a lover, depending on the historical account.

A tour in Europe in 1947 raised her international profile, and sealed her place firmly in the heart of Argentine politics.

Through her Evita Foundation, she launched a broad range of community and sports programs thatimproved the lives of millions of people, built 12 hospitals, over a thousand schools and numerous nursing homes.

Many Argentines remember receiving their first bike from Evita’s hands.

“Coming from a poor family, a down-to-earth girl who was a victim of dis­crimination, she really embodied self-sacrifice,” said Norberto Galasso, author of the recently published La Companera Evita (Evita the Militant).

“I will never forget life on the streets,” Evita used to say.

She ignored critics who were aghast that she hosted the poorest of the poor − while decked out in pricey jewellery and the latest designer frocks.

An unrivalled orator who delivered impassioned speeches from the balcony of the Casa Rosada presi­dential palace, Evita secured in 1949 women’s right to vote and earned a legacy after her death comparable to that of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara.

Her face, like Che’s in Havana, still towers over the streets of Buenos Aires, including two sides of the Social Development Ministry.

After a 1955 coup that nearly killed Peron in 1955, the military that took power sought to put an end to Peronism.

They removed her embalmed body and had her buried in secret in Milan.

The remains were only returned to Peron in 1971 and it was not before 1976 that she was buried again, in Buenos Airies’ La Recoleta cemetery.