Plaza de Mayo is as old as the city of Buenos Aires itself. Juan de Garay founded Buenos Aires city for the second time in 1580. At this time, he also decided the location of the Plaza Mayor, current Plaza de Mayo.

From then on, the Plaza the Mayo has been the scenario of all the major events in the history of Buenos Aires. Even today, it's the meeting point of all major demonstrations, political revolts, and popular festivals.

The Plaza de Mayo suffered many changes throughout the years, but the one that gave it the appearance it has today, was performed by CharlesThays. He transplanted some of the original palm trees, designed new paths and added flower beds.

At the center of the Plaza de Mayo, you can see one of the most important monuments in Buenos Aires, not because of its appearence, but for its symbolic meaning:

Piramide de Mayo (May's Pyramid):
Erected in en 1811, it was the first historical monument of Buenos Aires, and it was declared as a National Historic Monument one year later; it's a small obelisk, to which a figure representing Liberty, made by French sculptor Doubourdieu, was added during its redesign by Argentine architect and painter Prilidiano Pueyrredón in 1856, preserving the original pyramid in its interior.

Another important monument in the Plaza the Mayo is the Equestrian Statue of Manuel Belgrano:
Facing the Casa Rosada on Balcarce street, this work by French sculptor Albert Carriere-Belleuse and Argentine Manuel de Santa Coloma, depicts general Belgrano admiring the Argentine flag.
Being the heart of the city's political life, many official buildings surround this square, as well as other buildings with a great architectural value:

Casa Rosada Government House (Pink House) - Balcarce 50


The building, in its current location, has always been the national government's headquarters from 1810 to date, but the current building was finished in 1884, in a Renaissance style, with an asymmetrical facade. President Sarmiento (1868-1874) decided to paint the building of a pink color.

Above the entrance on Balcarce Street you can see the famous Evita balcony.

On 219 Hipolito Yrigoyen St., you will find find the entrance to the Museum of the Casa Rosada, which shows presidential memorabilia, and offers guided visits to the interior rooms of the governmental building in several languages. www.casarosada.gob.ar/la-casa-rosada/museo

Metropolitan Cathedral - Rivadavia and San Martín
In 1692, construction of the first cathedral was carried out on this same plot. In 1822 , the current building was finished, after a century and a half of several architectural works. This is a neoclassical building, with Greek influences, atypical for a church. The facade was made in 1822 by Próspero Catelin and Pierre Benoit, inspired in the Palais Bourbon in Paris. Though the exterior looks more like a Greek temple than a church, its interior is like a colonial Spanish church. Inside the cathedral, you can observe pictures and sculptures, mainly made by Italian artists.
You may access the mausoleum where General Jose de San Martin remains are. He has been a hero of our independence.


Cabildo (Colonial Town Hall) - Bolívar 65
This is the only building that preserves the authentic colonial style from the times of its construction. During colony times, the Cabildo was the institution which represented the local interests. Along the years, the Cabildo suffered successive architectural modifications.
In 1810, the building held the events which would give rise to the Primera Junta de Gobierno and later to the declaration of independence.
This building currently houses the Cabildo Historical Museum and Museum of the May Revolution.


Banco de la Nacion Argentina (Argentine's National Bank) - Rivadavia and 25 de Mayo
Between 1857 and 1888 this was the site of the first Teatro Colon. In 1888 the place was transformed into the headquarters of the National Bank. The present building was designed by renowned Argentine architect Alejandro Bustillo, and was built between 1937 and 1955. The most remarkable part of this building is its central Hall and its Dome, one of the largest in the world.


Banco Frances - Reconquista and Rivadavia
Inaugurated in 1929, magnificent facade in the Spanish Plateresque style.


Municipal Palace (City Governement Building) - Bolivar 1
French Academicist style building, home to the municipal government of Buenos Aires since 1856, one of the nicest buildings around the Plaza de Mayo.


Legislative Palace - Diagonal Roca and Peru
The construction of this building started in 1927. The front has columns in Corinthian style and balconies in the first floor. Surrounding all the building on the last floor, 26 sculptures recreate certain classical French models. The tower, that is 97 meters high, the most noteworthy area of the building, has 4 sundials, and holds a 30 bells German carillon.

Galerias Pacifico is one of the most luxurious constructions in Buenos Aires. It occupies the square block limited by Florida, Viamonte, and San Martin Streets, and Cordoba Avenue.

In 1889, Francisco Seeber and Emilio Bunge decided to create "Au Bon Marché Argentino Grand Shops", similar to the Bon Marche stores in Paris. Architects Emilio Agrelo and Roland Le Vacher designed the building, inspired by the Vittorio Emmanuelle II galleries in Milan, as a covered passage with commercial shops. The building consisted of four identical sections, divided by two crossed central passages. But financial problems and the economic crisis of 1890 and 1908 made it necessary to sell parts of the building, and the stores were never opened.

On December 1896, the galleries turned into the first head office of the National Museum of Fine Arts; in 1908, the Ferrocarril Buenos Aires al Pacífico (railway administration) acquired part of the building for its offices, and it started to be known as "Edificio Pacífico" (Pacífico Building).

In the 1940's, Architects Jorge Aslan and Héctor Ezcurra redesigned the building. The lower level was turned into a commercial sector, separated from the office sector, and the passages were roofed.

The central dome, with 450 square meters, was embellished with painted murals by some of the most outstanding artists of that moment: Lino Eneas Spilimbergo, Antonio Berni, Juan Carlos Castagnino, Manuel Colmeiro, and Demetrio Urruchúa. The twelve painted panels constitute one of the most important mural groups in Buenos Aires, especially the fresco by Antonio Berni.
After years of neglect, the building was declared as a National Historical Monument in 1989, and a year later a concession was granted to a private group to build a shopping center. The galleries were redesigned and reopened in 1990. Four murals by artists Rómulo Macció, Josefina Robirosa, Guillermo Roux, and Carlos Alonso were added.

Galería Güemes is one of the most beautiful hidden gems of Buenos Aires. Thousands of people walk by it every day, since it is located in the busiest pedestrian street in Buenos Aires, but most of them are unaware of the beauty this building offers inside, since the entrance on Calle Florida 165 is completely unappealing. Its back entrance on San Martín 170, however, still retains its original glory.

Galería Güemes is considered to be the first skyscraper built in Buenos Aires, with its 14 floors and 87 meters high. It was inaugurated in 1915, featuring technical advances for the time, almost futuristic, and comprising a variety of functions in its interior: a theater, a cabaret, and a restaurant underground; apartments over Calle Florida; offices over San Martin; another restaurant with an observation deck on the 14th floor; and a 116 meter long commercial gallery on the ground floor, which connects both streets, inspired in the great covered passages and commercial galleries of the time, especially the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele in Milan. Its apartments were home to some outstanding personalities, like French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of "The Little Prince", and Argentine writer Julio Cortazar.

The architecture is a mix of Art Nouveau, Gothic, and Neoclassical, and was the creation of Italian architect Francisco Gianotti. Galeria Güemes is considered as one of the most representative examples of Art Nouveau architecture in Buenos Aires, with its beautiful marble columns and stairs, bronzes, glass domes, and ornate elevator banks.

The building suffered the neglect and lack of maintenance for decades, but a recent restoration brought the building back to its magnificent splendor, including the recovery of the original glass domes, the repairing of Italian marbles brought for its construction in 1914; the conditioning of the numerous hand made bronze pieces, with a special polishing to regain their original shine. These restoration works have won a Special Mention for the restoration of the Glass Domes at the 2006 Ibero-American Prize for the Best Intervention in the Built Patrimony.

The Art Nouveau underground theater was closed for nearly 40 years, but was also recently restored and today houses the Piazzolla Tango show, one of the most beautiful Tango palaces in Buenos Aires.

There are guided visits to the observation deck on the 14th floor every Thursday at 4 pm.
Galería Güemes official website

Buenos Aires is a city of diverse architectural influences, especially from Italy, Spain and France. We can recognize the Parisian flair of Buenos Aires in the San Martin Palace (above), located on 761 Arenales Street, inspired in the French architecture of the 18th century.

It is also visible in the Military Circle, former Palacio Paz, in 750 Santa Fe Av, which was the biggest private residence in Buenos Aires until it was acquired by the government in 1935:

Or in the City Government Building, which Assembly Room is an exact reproduction of one of the rooms in Versailles:

During the decade of the 1820´s, the first French engineers arrived to this country, especially hired by the government. Prosper Cetellin projected the neoclassical frontispiece of the Metropolitan Cathedral. Charles Henri Pellegrini started the construction of the Colon Theater. Pierre Benoit was in charge of the urban layout and the construction of several buildings in the capital of the Province of Buenos Aires, La Plata, which Cathedral was inspired in the Amiens Cathedral. Benoit has been the architect who built the most during 19th century.

In 1869, Jules Dormal arrived in Argentina from Belgium. Formed at l´École Polytechnique of Paris, Dormal is the author of high quality buildings, such as the Brazilian Embassy, inspired in the Museum Jacquemart-André of Paris:

as well as the government building in La Plata, and the interior of the Colon Theatre, among other projects. Other outstanding architects formed at the Ecole who left their legacy in Buenos Aires were Gastón Louis Malletl and Norbert Maillart, responsible of great public buildings such as the Central Posts, the National School of Buenos Aires and the Justice Courts.

The French influence was also extended to the urban design, interior decoration and landscaping. In the latter, it was very important the influence of renowned landscaper Charles Thays. Among his projects are the Botanical Garden, Palermo and several other public parks, as well as the parks of private residences in several provinces.

The area around Alvear Avenue is like a piece of Paris transported to Buenos Aires. Its upscale buildings and shops make it one the finest shopping avenues in the world. The renowned and elegant Alvear Palace Hotel is one of the milestones of this French style neighborhood: