Though the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo represent a sad chapter of Argentina’s history, they should not be ignored in favor of more pleasant subjects. When you study abroad, it is important to learn about all aspects of your host country in order to fully understand its culture.
The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo organization consists of women whose children disappeared during Argentina’s Dirty War. This “war” was a campaign of violence carried out by the country’s military dictatorship between 1976 and 1983. The mothers want to find their lost children and reunite with them. They initially gathered in the Plaza de Mayo, and that is how their organization got its name.
The first demonstrations took place in 1977. Later that year, one of the original founders of the organization, Azucena Villaflor de De Vincenti, disappeared. She had been searching for her son and daughter-in-law for 6 months. We now know that she was taken from her home by armed forces and sent to a concentration camp. In 2005, her body was identified. Three other founders of the movement have disappeared as well. If you attend Spanish school in Argentina, you can easily visit the landmark at the center of the Plaza de Mayo where Azucena Villaflor de De Vincenti’s ashes are buried.
Even today, the mothers continue to gather every Thursday afternoon. Students who sign up for Spanish classes in Buenos Aires often see these women walking around the Plaza de Mayo with white headscarves. On these scarves they embroider the names of their children.
During the Dirty War, government agents abducted and killed many people. According to the military in Argentina, 9,000 kidnapped people are still missing. The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo believe that more like 30,000 people are missing. A government commission has released facts indicating that the number is closer to 11,000. Regardless of the exact number of missing people, the Dirty War was clearly a travesty.
When you attend Spanish school in Argentina, you can conveniently visit the university, bookstore, library and cultural center that were put together to honor the memory of the people who disappeared. Often famous leaders visit this center when going to Buenos Aires. A variety of programs offer various services to the community including free education and health care. These memorials, as well as the gatherings of the Mothers of la Plaza de Mayo, serve as powerful tributes to the men and women that were killed during the Dirty War.