Why masons in Argentina are shedding centuries of secrecy

In November, the Argentina Great Lodge confirmed decades-long rumors: they had evidence that Juan Domingo Perón and Raúl Alfonsín, two of Argentina’s most important presidents, were freemasons.  The revelation sparked a flurry of new questions about this secretive organization and their rituals, from the symbols they use (think of the compass or the “All Seeing Eye,” which is featured on the U.S. dollar) to the employment of secret handshakes in order to recognize each other.  The disclosure that two political leaders from bitterly opposed parties were able to peacefully coexist within masonry, however, also allowed the lodge to showcase how they envision their new role of “promoting tolerance.” Grand Master Pablo Lázaro. Credit: Great Lodge of Argentina of the Free and Accepted Masons Freemasons have been a part of Argentine history pretty much since the country came into existence. Of the nine men who formed the first government in 1810, eight were masons.  So were nation-builders from José de San Martín and Manuel Belgrano to Bartolomé Mitre, Leandro Alem, and Domingo Sarmiento. A fraternal organization made up only of men, freemasons can trace their origins back to the 14th century. They organize themselves into groups known as lodges, devoted to topics such as politics, history, and education. Groups of lodges form Great Lodges.  The Great Lodge of Argentina of the Free and Accepted Masons describes itself as a “philanthropic, philosophical, and progressive society” dedicated to “morally and intellectually perfecting people.” Desk and chair in Pablo Lázaro’s office. The chair has been used by previous Gran Masters like Domingo Sarmiento and Bartolomé Mitre. Freemasons have been the subject of controversy due to their traditionally secret membership, which they describe today as “discreet.”  This has led to accusations of potential elitism and nepotism, as critics argue that secretism has no place in public affairs and can lead to unfair advantages in the workplace as well as within institutions. Their secular nature has also led to fierce battles with the Catholic Church and accusations that they are anti-religion. In this interview, Argentine Grand Master Pablo Lázaro, the institution’s main authority in the country, goes over the history of masonry in Argentina and its evolution, as well as the details of their decision to publicly announce the Perón and Alfonsín memberships. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. When did freemasons first appear in Argentina? Although there have been freemasons here since the first national government in 1810, the Great Lodge of Argentina was first created in 1857. This required credentials from a confirmed lodge. Argentina got them from Uruguay, who in turn had received them from Brazil, the original recipient of credentials issued by the Great Lodge of the United Kingdom.  Some lodges are devoted to philanthropy, others to history, and others to politics. There is even a Health Workers Lodge, which was created during the pandemic as a way of trying to keep the healthcare system from collapsing. Back side of the main temple in the Great Lodge of Argentina. Why have freemasons been more involved in politics here than in Europe? It all comes down to when a lodge is born and where it is. The Great Lodge of Great Britain, for instance, is much more philanthropic in its pursuits. That’s because it came into existence 300 years ago, when the political system was already in place.  Argentina, on the other hand, was a nascent country in which social and political debates were very much still raging. According to the saying, masons don’t do politics or talk about religion. In reality, what that means is that we don’t do party politics.   Freemasons have had a hand in important laws passed in the country, especially progressive ones. Law 1420 (1884) mandated free, compulsory primary education for children aged 8 to 14. The 1918 University Reform, which gave the institution autonomy from political power, democratized elections, and instituted free and public access.  Efforts to legalize cremation and divorce have also been spearheaded by individuals who were later revealed to be freemasons.  I should also say that masonry is not anti-religion. Our fights with the Catholic Church have always been over political issues. We respect all religions, but understand that faith is to be kept in the personal and family realm.  We are, in essence, a federation of free thinkers. All different, but with a single requirement: to tolerate dissidence and overcome it in a quest to create common goals.  Is it fair to say that freemasons were much more prominent in Argentine public life in the 19th century than the 20th? Yes, and for good reason. The institution wielded great influence until 1930, when Argentina suffered the first of a string of military coups it would endure during the 20th century.  Between 1930 and the return of democracy in 1983, the institution lost around 400 properties it owned.  The military coups made older masons tell younger ones to keep it a secret, as it could “bring them problems.” This kept happening even after the return of democracy, as the generation that led us had been raised under numerous dictatorships and still adhered to that code of silence.  That began to change when a new cadre of leaders — including me — took office in 2008. We grew up in democracy adhering to a mandate that posited that “insults should not be addressed.”  And the truth is that freemasons received an enormous amount of slander. We understood that there was nothing to hide.  A representation of a compass, a key element of significance for freemasons, in Pablo Lázaro’s office. What were the main changes you implemented? We began an open-door policy. At the time, there were 2,200 active members, and 14 provinces had no freemason institution. Currently, there are lodges in all provinces, and our membership has grown to 14,000.  We are growing, first and foremost, because we are getting the word out and saying that there is nothing to hide.  But there is also the enormous institutional crisis affecting political parties and many institutions, including religious ones, as they are failing at offering direction. We are attracting many people who are beginning to tire of this extreme polarization. We understand that our opponents are not those who think differently, but those who are unwilling to compromise.  The Casa Rosada owes its color to an attempt by freemasons to overcome polarization, which has been a part of Argentine history since the beginning.  When Sarmiento [a freemason] was president, the presidential palace was painted pink as a way of symbolizing unity. The color came from the mixture of rojo punzó (a shade of red identifying a political faction known as los federales) with white (representative of another political side known as unitarios).  Our motto for this year was promoting tolerance as a form of communal living. In showing that Perón and Alfonsín were members, we wanted to show how visceral opponents can coexist and reach agreements here. If they could, why can’t we? Are the mason archives containing the Perón and Alfonsín documents open to the public? The Grand Lodge of Argentina has a central archive, which until a few years ago was quite incomplete. This was because files were often destroyed to protect people. Also, some lodges have their own archives and did not send them to the Grand Lodge. We are currently putting together a kind of Masonic Wikipedia. This will allow lodges to digitalize and upload their archives.  Once that is complete, the idea is to have a simplified version available online for anyone who wants to see it.  There will be a more detailed version for historians, journalists, and academics that can be consulted in person. We expect the online version to be up by mid-2026. The Grand Lodge of Argentina currently only allows men. How has the role of women in the institution evolved? We only allow men because the broader organization we belong to, along with Brazil, the United States, the UK, among others, has been male-only for 300 years. In countries from the region, like Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil, however, there have been Women’s Grand Lodges for a while. We’ve had an excellent relationship with the Argentine women’s lodge for 25 years. We share events and philanthropic endeavors and are even in discussions to run a university together but belong to different confederations. That being said, we’re aware that you cannot talk of masonry as an agent for social change if you exclude 51% of the global population. It’s contradictory, even. However, that is a debate we have to settle within our organization. Cover photo: Session in the main temple of the Great Lodge of Argentina of the Free and Accepted Masons (Credit: Great Lodge of Argentina of the Free and Accepted Masons).