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.
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.
And even if you know nothing about Argentinian history, you’re probably familiar with Evita, his second wife. Yes, the one played by Madonna. She’s not the universally loved character you might think she is if you trust Hollywood.
To this day, Evita remains a highly divisive memory, just like she was when she was alive. A part of it is because of sexism, for sure, but another is that she shared her husband’s authoritarian views.
The administration presented Evita as a sort of fairy godmother to the poor and the children, but she was also combative, demanding absolute loyalty to her husband. Populist movements tend to turn to coercion at one point or another.
And yes, she loved dressing in Dior, Balenciaga and other big European designers.
Evita died exactly 70 years ago, of ovarian cancer, three years before Perón’s overthrow in a 1955 coup d’etat. The funerals lasted 16 days, and all Argentinian men were forced to keep a black band on their arm in a show of…
