Taking to the Street

Part II, “Taking to the Street,” examines the traditions of protest and celebration in Buenos Aires. It describes how public culture developed since the independence era, and how public spaces, like plazas and the city’s walls, became sites for residents to make demands, congregate, and celebrate. Documents in this part include texts on Carnaval, workers’ movements, and the traditions of graffiti and street art. Emblematic moments of protest and celebration are also documented, including the plaza in the independence era; in mass demonstrations during the 1934 Eucharist Congress; amid the rise of Juan Perón; in the protests of the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo during the civic-military dictatorship; and during specific episodes of violence, like the Ezeiza massacre. Documents also illustrate more recent types of demonstrations, including encampments, piquetes, escraches, public kitchens, street performances, and mass marches, as well as large-scale celebrations, exemplified in Argentina’s World Cup wins.