Eva Peron - A biography

María Eva Ibarguren, "Evita." Argentina's first lady, a dazzling rainbow shining over the nation of Argentina. But who is she?


History tells us she was born to Juana Ibarguren and Juan Duarte on November 21, 1919, in the tiny town of Los Toldos, huddled on the edge of the vast Argentina pampas.
The daughter of a ranch manager and his mistress, Eva lived under a cloud of bastardy for most of her childhood, ending in the traumatic events of her father's funeral, where she and her family were refused entry to see the body by his lawful wife. Out of sympathy, a relative of Eva's father allowed them to make a quick pass by the cadaver. He also allowed them to follow the end of the funeral procession, but only as far as the cemetery gate.

"From every period of my life, I retain the memory of some injustice tormenting me and tearing me apart."

Eva completed six grades of primary school, yet formal education did not interest her. She was a lively, intelligent girl in love with American films and yearning for a life beyond the endless expanse of grassland. In her teens she was an attractive, slim brunette. She wanted to be famous and her three older sisters told her that to gain respectability she had to marry into the middle class. In the historically incorrect, yet mesmerising musical "Evita", Eva sings "screw the middle classes. I will never accept them."

Eva decided to seek her fortune in Buenos Aries at the age of 17. Apparantly, she travled with a famous tango singer - Augistin Magaldi - and traveled with him to Buenos Aires. Within three years, she had jobs as a radio and film actress.

In January 1944 ("a night to remember, that's for sure!") Eva met Colonel Juan Peron, slowly rising to the top. She met him at a fundraising concert for the earthquake victims of San Juan. Within a couple of weeks, she was sharing his apartment, though the musical says she was within hours. (I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You.) Perón went on to become Vice President of the Republic, but political issues at the end of World War II eventually led to his arrest and imprisonment. Juan Perón was quickly freed and went on to marry Eva and became the president of Argentina.

With "Perónism" slowly on the rise, Perón became one of the most admired leaders of the era. Altough Perón was leader, Eva became the object of intense, mysterious adoration by the nation's common people. She attained national attention during the "Rainbow Tour" which was around Europe to promote Argentine interests and back at her home Perónist Women's Party, The Eva Perón Foundation were just starting out as charitable works among the nation's poor.

The poor, in turn almost forced Eva to take on the role of vice president beside her husband and despite dissent from the military and political opponents she became a vice-presidential candidate.

It was a goal which Eva would never complete as she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Eva Perón fell into a steep and sudden decline, and on July 26, 1952, she died at the age of 33.

A measure of her enormous appeal among her fellow citizens could be seen in the outpouring of grief that followed her death. Close to a million Argentines crowded the streets of Buenos Aires for her funeral procession, and an estimated three million filed past her casket to pay their last respects. The myth of "Saint Eva" was kept alive by frequent requests to the Vatican for her canonization. Forty thousand such appeals were received in the two years following her death.

The story of Evita has not yet ended. Many visit her tomb everyday and the musical "Evita", composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber has kept the dream alive.