A Legacy Of Influential Argentineans

When you fly Aerolineas Argentinas to Buenos Aires or Cordoba or Rosario or anywhere, you’re not just flying into a country.

You’re flying into a history and legacy of influential Argentineans.

Here’s just a brief list of some of the most famous – and, in some cases, polarizing – figures in Argentina’s history. Trust us: maybe you don’t know Argentina yet, but you will certainly know some of these names.

(In no particular order)

POPE FRANCIS – Habeus Papam. Translated from Latin, it means “We have a Pope.” Jose Mario Bergoglio was elected as the 266th Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church – and the first ever from South America – on March 13, 2013. He is the former Cardinal from Buenos Aires.

JUAN and EVA PERON – Juan Peron became president of Argentina in 1945 but it was his wife who became most famous and perhaps equally influential. Juan Peron had no misgivings about giving Eva a political platform, and the First Lady used it to fight for women’s suffrage and improve the lives of the poor. A former actress, she rallied the people with her story of going hungry while growing up. Eva Peron was not without her detractors or critics, but she was adored by most Argentineans.

DIEGO MARADONA and LIONEL MESSI – Arguably the two greatest soccer players in Argentina’s history. Maradona led the country to its second World Cup title in 1986; Messi is widely considered to be the world’s best player today.

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CARLOS GARDEL – Singer, songwriter, actor … and one of the most influential figures in the history of the development of the tango. The sultry Argentine dance had been around since the late 1800s but in 1917 it was considered to have received a boost from Gardel’s song, “Mi Noche Triste,” or “My Sad Night.”

JOSE de SAN MARTIN – A national hero. Jose de San Martin was a soldier and statesman who not only helped lead the revolution for Argentina’s independence from Spain in 1812, he went on to do the same thing for Peru and Chile.

These are but a few of the great and influential people of Argentina, and we will revisit with more famous Argentineans in the future.