Eva Duarte Perón, better known as Eva Perón or Evita Perón, was born on May 7, 1919, in Los Toldos and died in Buenos Aires on July 26, 1952. She was an Argentine actress, first lady and political leader.
Married to Argentine military and president Juan Domingo Perón, Eva was largely responsible for her husband's political consolidation.
She died of uterine cancer and after her death, her corpse was kidnapped by political opponents and would only return to Argentina in 1974.
Who was Eva Perón?
Eva Perón was born in the Buenos Aires town of Los Toldos. Her father was a rancher and had two families: one in the city, the legitimate one and the other in the countryside, with whom he had five children, including Eva.
At that time, children conceived out of wedlock had no rights and were despised by society. They were even officially called "illegitimate children".
When the father died in a car accident in 1926, the mother tries to go to the wake with her children and they are humiliated by the family of the legitimate wife. This fact would mark Eva Perón's life forever.
He would attend the local school where he would excel in recitation and public speaking ability. At 15, he decides to try his luck in Buenos Aires where he starts his artistic career with small roles on radio and in theaters. Later, she would work in cinema.
Perón and Eva's relationship
In 1944, an earthquake shook the province of san Juan and a large charity event was organized. Several personalities from the entertainment and political world were present, such as the colonel and then Minister of Labor, Juan Domingo Perón, and the actress Eva Duarte.
Perón began to maintain a sentimental relationship with Evita and took her to public events, which scandalized the conservative Argentine society.
Perón's prestige as minister of labor was growing in the country. Through his tenure, Argentina's first labor laws were enacted. However, his popularity with the working class was frowned upon and Perón was arrested in 1945.
Eva then organizes a great act asking for the freedom of the politician, which is obtained on October 17, 1945. This date is considered the foundation of the Peronist movement.
In order to put an end to the rumors that provoked their relationship, Perón and Evita got married on October 22 of the same year.
Juan Perón wins the 1946 presidential election and Eva becomes an important player in his government.
The first lady conquers the workers with her fiery speeches directed at the popular classes, whom she would call “shirtless”. With populist verbiage, Eva Perón personally responds to thousands of orders that accumulate in her office.
Her triumph is measured when she takes a post-war tour of Europe in 1947, visiting countries like Spain, Italy, Portugal and France. On her return, she spent three days in Brazil where she was received by President Eurico Gaspar Dutra.
After this trip, Eva Perón creates a foundation named after her to help the poor. From this moment on, the working class will call it "Evita".
Likewise, she pressures the government to pass laws that allow female suffrage, parity between men and women, and an end to differences between legitimate and illegitimate children. The latter in memory of what he had suffered in his childhood.
All these attitudes, plus the fact that she has a humble background and was an actress-profession incompatible with the morals of the time - they attract enmity from conservative circles, the Church and the Armed forces.
At the end of Perón's term, Evita is appointed by the CGT (Central General de Trabalhadores) to join the slate as vice president. This decision displeases the most conservative sectors and the military, who do not accept her running for elections.
Death and kidnapping of Evita's body
Perón is elected to the post on November 11, 1951, but Eva Perón was already ill with cancer that would kill her on July 26, 1952.
Eva Perón's corpse is embalmed and placed at the CGT headquarters in Buenos Aires, while a monument is built to house it. However, in 1955, Perón is defeated in a coup d'état, sent into exile and Evita's corpse is kidnapped.
The remains of the Argentine First Lady are hidden throughout the country, cross the ocean and are deposited in a cemetery in Milan under a false name. Only in the 70s, when Perón negotiates his return to Argentina, does he demand that his wife's body be returned to him.
Eva Perón's corpse is transported from Milan to Madrid in 1971 and handed over to the widower, who was living in exile in the Spanish capital. Three years later, Evita Perón returned to Argentina and finally rested in the Recoleta Cemetery, in Buenos Aires.
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