“In this house are the books that helped me write the history of Argentine literature, which is the history of Argentine pain; here is the copious correspondence exchanged over half a century with many wise minds; here is my archive—all of which I have been unable to organize or classify, because my work did not allow it, but everything has been cared for and arranged by my wife. With her consent, I say today that all of this no longer belongs to me: it belongs to the homeland, so that future researchers may find here the elements that will allow them to know how the heart of the country beat...”
These words welcome visitors to the Ricardo Rojas House Museum. A prologue, if you will. Ricardo Rojas's house is an enigmatic piece that encompasses several cultural layers. In the library rest the masters: Borges, Arlt, Walsh, Rojas. In the courtyard, fountains and mermaids, suns and stars. Symbols that appeal to our memory.
To understand the house, however, one must first know the man behind it. Ricardo Rojas was a humanist, historian, essayist, biographer, journalist, professor, dean, and rector. His legacy was fundamental to Argentine literature: works such as El país de la selva, the iconic biography of San Martín titled El santo de la espada, Eurindia, and, of course, Historia de la literatura argentina. Throughout his life, he was preoccupied with the history of letters and the search for national identity. He manifested these concerns in both his literary work and his home.
Just like Palacio Barolo and the Divine Comedy, literature here also served as the inspiring muse for the architecture. He sought to embody the concepts presented in his book “Eurindia”—specifically, the “Eurindian” aesthetic theory, a term coined by combining Europe and the Indies.
As part of the celebrations for the centennial of Argentine independence, he set out to investigate national identity. At the time, many artists and intellectuals admired European culture and wanted artistic expressions (literature, architecture, sculpture, etc.) to follow that influence, attempting to erase the pre-Columbian indigenous past.
Rojas studied the history of Argentina as well as that of the American continent. He concluded that the Americas have their roots in both indigenous and European cultures, proposing an aesthetic theory that merged these different cultural heritages.
To materialize his ideals, he commissioned architect Ángel Guido to design his house. Guido took note and proposed an architecture based on the fusion of Hispanic and pre-Columbian cultures.
He replicated the House of Tucumán on the facade. This gesture carried great symbolic weight, referencing the country's history and its colonial past—the site where the Independence of the United Provinces of South America was declared in 1816.
Immediately past the entrance lies the first courtyard. Once again, the architect designed the space with elements that appeal to collective memory—in this case, the Inca Empire. The columns and friezes feature low-relief carvings of the sun, corn, flowers, and stars. Mermaids and Incas frame the space, and the loggia welcomes visitors. Through these elements, Guido makes us forget we are in Buenos Aires, gradually introducing us to Rojas's universe.
Upon entering the house, one finds the salon, a spacious double-height room displaying the owner's furniture and personal belongings. Plain white walls contrast with the classic granite checkerboard floor and dark wood paneling. The generous height allows for a mezzanine, where the architect incorporated a Cusco-style balcony.
The library is undoubtedly a revival of the Inca past. Murals, doors, sculptures, shields, and candelabras evoke the solid, geometric architecture of the Empire of the Sun. The collection contains around 25,000 volumes and is open to the public, with Argentine, Spanish-American, and Spanish literature as its main sections. It also houses original manuscripts and books autographed by Jorge Luis Borges, Armando Discépolo, Rubén Darío, Manuel Mujica Láinez, and Horacio Quiroga, among others.
The winter courtyard, currently used as a reading room, evokes Andalusian tradition. Colorful majolica tiles—a specific type of ceramic characterized by its glazed finish—bathe the space in color, alongside the orange light filtering through the large windows.
Adjacent to the winter courtyard is the orange tree courtyard. These trees were chosen because they are characteristic of both Tucumán (Rojas's birthplace) and Spain. The fountain, water, and orange blossoms are also typical elements of Andalusian tradition. Once again, we see the coexistence of different cultures merging through art, or in this case, architecture. Symmetry, water, light, and vegetation stand in perfect harmony.
Entering the Ricardo Rojas House Museum disorients the senses. We are just steps from the street, yet at the same time, very far away. Is this Argentina? Peru? Bolivia? Perhaps Spain? No. It is a blend of all of them and more. This is Eurindia.
This article was written by Mariana Etulain. The translation is powered by AI.
