Fodor's Expert Review Parque Lezama

The Museo Histórico Nacional (National History Museum) sits in the shade of enormous magnolia, palm, cedar, and elm trees on the sloping hillside of Parque Lezama. Bronze statues of Greek heroes, stone urns, and an imposing fountain shipped from Paris hint at former glory. Patchy grass, cracked paths, and unpainted benches are a nod to more recent times. A monument in the northwestern corner celebrates conquistador Pedro de Mendoza, said to have founded Buenos Aires on this spot. Watching over the park are the onion-shaped domes of the Catedral Santísima Trinidad Iglesia Ortodoxa Rusa (Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church) immortalized by Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato in his novel Sobre Héroes y Tumbas (Of Heroes and Tombs).