Part III: At the Top

Eva leapt into her role as First Lady of Argentina with a vengeance. There was little she didn't at least try to do. She still gave speeches on a regular basis, but on top of the political end, she had the social gaity of the life as first lady to revel in. She attended dinners, balls, whatever she and Juan were invited to, and she always showed up looking saintly, beautiful, and powerful, a mesmerizing combination.

Eva's job was not only looking beautiful, although she did this exceptionally well. She also became a sort of goodwill ambassador for Argentina. It was this unofficial position that spurned her "Rainbow Tour," a tour of Europe in 1948. She began touring in Spain, then went to Italy and France, as well. She was well received in all countries she visited, although she didn't go over as well as she would've liked in Italy. There was a popular joke going around at the time that Eva and an escort were walking in Italy to the calls of "Whore!" aimed at Eva. She asked her escort, "Did you hear that? They called me a whore!" Her escort replied, "That's not so unusual. I'm still called an admiral, though I left the sea years ago."

After Eva's "Rainbow Tour," she returned home to the loving arms of her husband and to the warmth of the country that so loved her, now more than ever. Once Eva, now referred to as Evita by her admirers, came back from Europe, she went straight to work on the project that would keep her busy until the day she passed

would keep her busy until the day she passed away: the Foundation Eva Peron. She worked day and night, often by herself, tirelessly cataloguing and keeping inventory of the things she had collected to give her beloved poor. Around this time, she began to get ill, but that only made her work harder, as though she had to finish it all before her time to pass on came.

Through the Foundation Eva Peron, Evita became so loved that the descamisados began to press for a Peron/Peron ticket in the next election: Juan Peron, President, Eva Peron, Vice-President. But alas, to the great disappointment of her followers, it was not to be. Little did Evita, or her descamisados know, Evita had already begun the slow descent to the end of her life.

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Part IV: On the Way Down