Sarmiento House

Sarmiento House. Niels Mickers/cc by 2.0

This house was the former home of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Argentina’s seventh president. He was also the author of one of the country’s most important pieces of literature, Facundo, which is not only a testament to his political views, but also a reflection of Argentina’s history.

Sarmiento also carried out some ambitious policies regarding education and had a tremendous influence on Argentina’s school systems. He trained new teachers and built new buildings for public schools. He successfully passed a sanction that guaranteed schools would be free and separate from religious teachings, and opened various free libraries.

Sarmiento lived with his family in this house after his tenure as president, from 1855 until he died in 1888. He chose a quiet abode in Tigre, a city within the delta around the La Plata River. Trees he planted still stand around the property, and the house still holds some of its original furniture. The building, which became a National Historic Monument in 1966, now functions as a museum.

Know Before You Go

The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It's a nice place to visit for the day. You can go with a car, but the train will take you directly to the center of Tigre and most of it is walking distance from the train station.

Next to the house is the Public Library, Paula Albarracín de Sarmiento, which also holds different exhibits.