UBA Facultad de Ingeniería

What if I told you the UBA Facultad de Ingeniería building we stand before once housed statues of Argentina’s working class, only to have them unceremoniously dumped in a river? The UBA Facultad de Ingeniería, a prominent faculty of the University of Buenos Aires, stands as a testament to Argentina’s rich engineering history. Established in 1952, it emerged from the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, carrying with it a legacy dating back to 1865 when the university first offered engineering courses. This very building, a neoclassical structure on Paseo Colón Avenue, has witnessed a fascinating evolution. It originally served as the headquarters for the Eva Perón Foundation. Upon its completion in 1950, ten imposing six-meter statues, crafted from Carrara marble by Leone Tommasi, graced the rooftop. These statues symbolized the “descamisados,” the working class championed by Perón. However, the 1955 coup d’état drastically altered their fate. The statues were removed and cast into the Matanza River, a stark symbol of the political upheaval. Only three were recovered years later, in 1996, under President Menem’s orders. They now reside in San Vicente, Perón’s burial place. The UBA Facultad de Ingeniería inherited the building in 1956, transforming it into a hub for aspiring engineers. Today, it bustles with thousands of students pursuing degrees in various engineering disciplines. The faculty continues to grow and adapt, offering graduate and postgraduate programs. The UBA Facultad de Ingeniería, with its neoclassical architecture and storied past, stands as a symbol of both Argentina’s engineering prowess and its tumultuous political history. The missing statues serve as a silent reminder of the forces that shaped this nation.