The Argentine National Historical Museum ( es, Museo Histórico Nacional) is located in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, and is a museum dedicated to the
history of Argentina
The history of Argentina can be divided into four main parts: the pre-Columbian time or early history (up to the sixteenth century), the colonial period (1536–1809), the period of nation-building (1810–1880), and the history of modern Argenti ...
, exhibiting objects relating to the
May Revolution
The May Revolution ( es, Revolución de Mayo) was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the terri ...
and the
Argentine War of Independence.
History
The institution was established as the ''Museo Histórico de la Capital'' (Historical Museum of the Capital) by Mayor
Francisco Seeber
Francisco Seeber (November 15, 1841 – December 13, 1913) was an Argentine military officer, businessman and Mayor of Buenos Aires.
Life and times
Francisco Seeber was born in Buenos Aires to Sophia Taut and Magnus Seeber, both German Argent ...
on May 24, 1889.
The museum resulted from a proposal by historian
Adolfo Carranza, who was designated director of the museum upon its inauguration on February 15, 1891. The museum was initially located on government property located at 3951
Santa Fe Avenue (now occupied by the
Buenos Aires Botanical Garden). It was relocated to its present location in the
San Telmo
San Telmo ("Saint Pedro González Telmo") is the oldest ''barrio'' (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis and is characterized by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlors and antiqu ...
ward after the land's purchase by the Municipality of Buenos Aires in 1897. The land later occupied by the Botanical Garden was thus transferred to the municipal government, and the museum to the national government.
The mansion was originally built for the American businessman Charles Ridgley Horne in 1846.
Allied to the paramount Governor of Buenos Aires,
Juan Manuel de Rosas, Ridgley Horne was forced into exile after the strongman's
1852 overthrow, and the land was sold to José Gregorio Lezama. Following his 1894 death, his widow, Ángela Álzaga de Lezama sold the property to the city, which converted the mansion into the museum, and most of the surrounding land into
Lezama Park.
Exhibits
The museum houses over 50,000 items. Portions of the collection were gathered from donations of relatives of important figures in the
May Revolution
The May Revolution ( es, Revolución de Mayo) was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the terri ...
and the
wars of independence
This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars
Wars of national liberation or national liberation revolutions are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against for ...
. Other objects were part of the collection of the Public Museum (''Museo Público'') created in 1822 by
Bernardino Rivadavia
Bernardino de la Trinidad González Rivadavia (May 20, 1780 – September 2, 1845) was the first President of Argentina, then called the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, from February 8, 1826 to June 27, 1827.
He was educated at t ...
.
Its displays include regalia, belongings, furnishings and documents belonging to
José de San Martín
José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (25 February 177817 August 1850), known simply as José de San Martín () or '' the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru'', was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and centr ...
,
María de los Remedios de Escalada,
Manuel Belgrano
Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano y González (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820), usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano (), was an Argentine public servant, economist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and military leader. He ...
,
William Carr Beresford,
Juan Manuel de Rosas,
Bartolomé Mitre,
Juan
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...
and
Eva Perón
María Eva Duarte de Perón (; ; 7 May 1919 – 26 July 1952), better known as just Eva Perón or by the nickname Evita (), was an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 19 ...
, and other Argentine, as well as foreign, statesmen, lawmakers, and military figures who played key roles in the nation's history up to 1950.
Its collection of
history paintings includes works by
Esteban Echeverría
José Esteban Antonio Echeverría (2 September 1805 – 19 January 1851) was an Argentine poet, fiction writer, cultural promoter, and liberal activist who played a significant role in the development of Argentine literature, not only throu ...
,
Cándido López
Cándido López (29 August 1840 – 31 December 1902) was an Argentine soldier and painter who worked in the Naïve style. He is best known for his historical scenes from the Paraguayan War in which he fought.
Biography
Early life
He beg ...
, and
Prilidiano Pueyrredón
Prilidiano Pueyrredón (January 24, 1823 – November 3, 1870) was an Argentine painter, architect and engineer. One of the country's first prominent painters, he was known for his costumbrist sensibility and preference for everyday themes.
...
, among others.
Gallery Building
File:Residencia de don Gregorio Lezama Actual sede del Museo Histórico.JPG,
File:Flickr_-_bastique_-_front_of_El_Museo_Historico_National.jpg,
File:Fachada_Museu_Histórico_Argentina.JPG,
File:MHN002.JPG,
File:MHN001.JPG,
File:MHN004.JPG,
Gallery Collection
File:San Martin related objects.JPG,
File:Uniforme de Uriburu.JPG,
File:Mariano_Moreno_related_objects.JPG,
File:Placa de la Primera Junta.JPG,
File:Partitura del Himno Nacional Argentino.JPG,
File:Flickr - bastique - Pistola a chispa.jpg,
Gallery of Paintings
File:Cabildoabierto-Subercaseaux-edit.jpg,
File:Cabildo abierto.jpg,
File:Himno Nacional Argentino.jpg,
File:José de San Martín (retrato, c.1828).jpg,
File:Mariano Moreno en su mesa de trabajo.jpg,
File:Cornelio Saavedra - 1810.jpg,
References
External links
Virtual visitOfficial website
{{authority control
Historical Museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...
Museums in Buenos Aires
History museums in Argentina
Houses completed in 1846
Museums established in 1889
1889 establishments in Argentina