Argentina

Discover Argentina

Fun Foods

Asado, Empanadas, Provoleta, Medialunas, and Dulce de Leche

Football in Argentina isn't a sport. It's a religion with Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi as its prophets.

La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires holds 57,000 fans who chant, jump, and create an atmosphere so intense it literally shakes the ground. Kids grow up kicking balls in the street, dreaming of becoming the next legend.

This passion runs deep in Argentine culture, but so does political drama. Juan Perón won the presidency in 1946 by expanding workers' rights and became wildly popular with the working class.

The military kicked him out in 1955, but Perón's influence lasted so long he returned to power in 1973.

The darkest chapter came next. From 1976 to 1983, a military dictatorship ran the Dirty War, kidnapping and killing anyone who opposed them. Around 30,000 people disappeared.

The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo wore white headscarves and marched every Thursday in front of the presidential palace, carrying photos of their missing children and demanding answers.

These brave women never stopped marching, even when the dictatorship threatened them. They became a worldwide symbol of resistance and human rights, and they still gather in Plaza de Mayo today.

Indigenous Mapuche people lived in Patagonia for centuries before Argentina existed as a country. In 1879, President Julio Roca led the "Conquest of the Desert," a military campaign that killed thousands of Mapuche and seized their lands.

Many Mapuche communities continue fighting for recognition and their ancestral territories.

Tradition Day falls on November 10, celebrating gaucho culture and countryside traditions. Families gather for asados, marathon barbecues where grilled meat keeps coming for hours.

Sharing mate, bitter herbal tea sipped through a metal straw from a communal gourd, is practically sacred. Refusing to pass the gourd is like refusing friendship.

Tango was born in Buenos Aires' working-class neighborhoods in the 1890s. Today dancers perform this sultry, dramatic dance on street corners in San Telmo, and you can take lessons yourself.

The music is instantly recognizable.

Try empanadas stuffed with beef and spices. Alfajores are cookie sandwiches filled with dulce de leche, Argentina's beloved caramel spread.

Italian immigration means incredible pizza and pasta everywhere. Iguazú Falls on the Brazilian border crashes down with stunning power.