Museo Casa del Virrey Liniers

Museo Casa del Virrey Liniers Review

The massive stone walls of the main estancia buildings dominate one side of Plaza Solares. After the Jesuits' expulsion from Argentina, the buildings' most illustrious resident was Viceroy Santiago de Liniers, famous for defending Buenos Aires against invading British forces. Liniers lived here briefly in 1810, before his pro-Spanish sympathies cost him his life when Argentina became independent. Despite its name, the Museo Casa del Virrey Liniers, a well-organized museum, isn't just about Liniers, but also documents life on the estancia and includes some exhibits about the native Comechingón people who inhabited the area prior to the Europeans' arrival.

The entrance's crumbling baroque gate gives way to the main courtyard. Overlooking this are the priests' cells, which house period furniture, religious art, and Liniers's personal effects. Deeper within the building are the original kitchens, the forge, and the areas comunes (common areas)—a euphemism for the Jesuits' toilets. These were discovered by archaeologists in the 1970s, incongruously filled with porcelainware. Adjoining the museum to the south and worth checking out if you're at the museum is the Iglesia Parroquial Nuestra Señora de la Merced, finished only a few years before the Jesuits' expulsion. Unlike the museum, the church hasn't been well maintained or restored. Take a short walk north of the main building to see the Tajamar (breakwater), built by the Jesuits in 1643 to create a reservoir for their estate.