Don’t Cry for Her, Argentina — Perón’s Forgotten Wife

Not Evita: the presidency we don’t talk about, and Argentina’s descent into madness.

The Perón-Perón presidential victory. Image Credit: Revista Peronismo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Source.

You might have noticed I like history, especially learning about the myths we tell ourselves about our nations. Argentinian history is a real treasure trove in this sense, one I’ve loved studying in my years living here.

In honor of the 70th anniversary of the paso a la inmortalidad (passing to immortality) of Eva María Duarte, more commonly known as Evita, on July 26th, I’m going to write about Argentina’s first female president.

She was a Peronist, and Perón’s wife. But no, I’m not talking about Evita in this story. I’m talking about Perón’s third wife, María Estela Martínez, known to Argentinians as Isabelita.

Never heard of her? Haven’t seen a movie with an A-lister in the name role? There’s a reason for that.

She’s the one Peronism wants to forget.

The Great Evita

So, you’ve probably heard of General Juan Domingo Perón, Argentina’s former president who was popular among the workers’ movement, although with more than a few authoritarian tendencies.