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This article discusses a historical event involving the death, embalming, prolonged public display, disappearance, and eventual recovery of the body of Eva Perón (Evita), one of the most iconic and polarizing figures in 20th-century Argentine history. It is intended for educational purposes only, to promote understanding of Argentina’s political and cultural history, the cult of personality, and the symbolic role of Evita’s remains in national memory. It does not endorse or glorify any form of political violence, authoritarianism, or exploitation of the dead.
Opening the Coffin of Eva Perón – The First Lady of Argentina: The Strange Journey of Evita’s Remains
Eva Duarte de Perón (1919–1952), universally known as “Evita,” remains one of the most beloved and controversial figures in Argentine history. As First Lady from 1946 to 1952, she championed labor rights, women’s suffrage, and aid for the poor through the Eva Perón Foundation, becoming a near-mythical symbol of hope for Argentina’s working class (“descamisados”). Yet after her death from cervical cancer at age 33, her body did not rest in peace. Instead, it was embalmed, publicly displayed for years, stolen, hidden, and secretly moved across continents—only to be returned to Argentina in 1974 after a bizarre, 16-year odyssey. The saga of Evita’s remains reflects the deep political divisions in Argentina, the power of her myth, and the lengths to which both supporters and enemies went to control her legacy. This analysis traces the embalming, disappearance, international journey, and eventual return of her body.
Evita’s Death and Embalming (1952)
Eva Perón died on July 26, 1952, at the age of 33, after a long and painful battle with cervical cancer. Her death plunged Argentina into national mourning; millions lined the streets of Buenos Aires, and her funeral procession lasted days. President Juan Perón, recognizing her symbolic power even in death, decided to preserve her body indefinitely.
He commissioned Spanish embalmer Dr. Pedro Ara, a renowned specialist in “anatomical preservation,” to mummify Evita’s corpse using techniques similar to those used on Lenin and other political figures. Ara worked for more than a year in a secret laboratory in the CGT (General Confederation of Labor) building in Buenos Aires. The goal was not just preservation but to create a lifelike, eternal icon: her body was treated with chemicals, injected with preservatives, coated in paraffin wax, and dressed in elegant gowns. By late 1953, the embalmed Evita was placed in a glass coffin in the CGT headquarters, where she lay in state, open to public viewing. Millions came to pay respects, and the display became a quasi-religious shrine for Peronist loyalists.
The Coup and Disappearance (1955–1956)
On September 19, 1955, the Revolución Libertadora military coup overthrew Juan Perón, who fled to exile in Paraguay and later Spain. The anti-Peronist regime viewed Evita’s embalmed body as a dangerous symbol that could rally Peronist resistance.
In November 1955, the military removed the coffin from public display and hid it in various secret locations in Buenos Aires. In 1956, fearing that Peronist loyalists might recover it and use it as a rallying point, the regime ordered the body secretly transported out of the country.
The Strange Odyssey (1956–1971)
The journey of Evita’s remains is one of the most bizarre episodes in modern political history:
- 1956: The coffin was taken by ship to Italy under heavy secrecy.
- 1957–1971: It was hidden in Milan, first in a police station attic, then in a small crypt under the name “María Maggi de Magistris” (a fictitious Italian widow). The body was guarded by Italian military police and occasionally inspected by Argentine agents to ensure it remained intact.
- The anti-Peronist authorities hoped the body would be forgotten, but Peronist exiles and loyalists never stopped searching for it.
During this period, rumors and myths proliferated in Argentina: some believed Evita was still alive, others that her body had been mutilated or destroyed.
Return and Final Resting Place (1971–1976 and Beyond)
In 1970, the military government of General Alejandro Lanusse began secret negotiations with Juan Perón (then in exile in Madrid) to allow his return to Argentina. As part of the deal, the body of Evita was quietly returned to Perón in Spain in 1971.
- Perón kept the coffin in his home in Madrid, where his third wife Isabel cared for it (she reportedly combed Evita’s hair and applied makeup).
- After Perón returned to Argentina and became president again in 1973, Evita’s remains were brought back to Buenos Aires in November 1974 (after Perón’s death in July 1974).
- On July 1, 1976, under the military dictatorship that overthrew Isabel Perón, Evita’s body was finally buried in the Duarte family mausoleum in La Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, where it remains today under heavy security.
Historical Significance
The odyssey of Evita’s body reflects the profound polarization of Argentine society:
- For Peronists, Evita was (and remains) a saint-like figure of social justice and resistance.
- For anti-Peronists, her embalmed corpse was a dangerous symbol that could reignite mass movements.
- The secret removal and hiding of her body by the 1955–1973 regimes was a deliberate attempt to erase her political legacy.
- Her eventual return and burial in Recoleta symbolized a partial reconciliation of her myth within Argentine democracy.
Today, her tomb in La Recoleta is one of the most visited sites in Buenos Aires, adorned daily with flowers and tributes.
After her death in 1952, Eva Perón’s embalmed body was publicly displayed, then secretly removed and hidden abroad for 16 years (1956–1971) by anti-Peronist authorities who feared her symbolic power. Returned to Juan Perón in Spain in 1971 and brought back to Argentina in 1974, Evita was finally laid to rest in La Recoleta Cemetery in 1976. The extraordinary journey of her remains mirrors the deep political divisions in Argentina and the enduring strength of her myth as a champion of the poor. The saga remains one of the most unusual chapters in modern political history.
Sources:
- Wikipedia: Eva Perón (cross-referenced with historical citations and primary accounts).
- “Evita: The Real Life of Eva Perón” by Nicholas Fraser and Marysa Navarro (biography with detailed section on embalming and disappearance).
- “Santa Evita” by Tomás Eloy Martínez (literary-historical novel based on extensive research into the body’s journey).
- BBC and The Guardian archival articles on the return of Evita’s body (1971–1976).
- Argentine National Historical Archive and La Recoleta Cemetery records.
- Various academic studies on Peronism and the politics of memory in Argentina.