She was born in poverty in the rural village of Los Toldos , in the Pampas , as the youngest of five children. In , at the age of 15, she moved to the nation's capital of Buenos Aires to pursue a career as a stage, radio, and film actress. The two were married the following year. Opposition from the nation's military and bourgeoisie , coupled with her declining health, ultimately forced her to withdraw her candidacy. Her father, Juan Duarte, [ 13 ] was descended from French Basque immigrants.
Her mother, Juana Ibarguren, was descended from Spanish Basque immigrants. At that time in rural Argentina, it was not uncommon for a wealthy man to have several families. When Eva was a year old, Duarte returned permanently to his legal family, leaving Juana Ibarguren and her children in abject poverty. Los Toldos was a village in the dusty region of Las Pampas, with a reputation as a desolate place of poverty. To support herself and her children, Ibarguren sewed clothes for neighbors.
The family was stigmatized by the abandonment of the father and by the illegitimate status of the children under Argentine law, and was consequently somewhat isolated.
When Duarte suddenly died and his mistress and their children sought to attend his funeral, there was an unpleasant scene at the church gates.
Although Juana and the children were permitted to enter and pay their respects, they were promptly directed out of the church. Duarte's widow did not want her late husband's mistress and children at the funeral; as she was the legitimate wife, her orders were respected. Before abandoning Juana Ibarguren, Juan Duarte had been her sole means of support. Biographer John Barnes writes that, after this abandonment, all Duarte left to the family was a document declaring that the children were his, thus enabling them to use the Duarte surname.
