History

The Order of May (Orden de Mayo) was originally established as the Order of May for Merit in 1946. It was founded to commemorate the May Revolution of 1811 that resulted in the establishment of Argentina as an independent republic. The Order was re-established as the Order of May on December 17, 1957 by Juan Perón, and it was modified on April 10, 1958.

The Order of May is conferred upon foreign citizens and military personnel in recognition of a variety of meritorious contributions to Argentina.

The Order is classified into four types that are based on the kind of service rendered by the recipient. Type I includes the original Order of May for Merit and all subsequent awards for civil merit. Type II includes the Order of May for Military Merit, while Type III includes the Order of May for Naval Merit, and Type IV includes the Order of May for Aeronautical Merit.

In Type I, the Order of May for Merit is conferred upon civilians in recognition of meritorious services and personal efforts to contribute to the progress, culture, solidarity and international understanding to the benefit of Argentina.

In Type I, the obverse center of the Order was modified in 1957, and again in 1974; it was switched from a torso of a male holding an Argentinian flag, to a bust of a female. Then, the central medallion depicted a male figure between 1946-1957, a female bust between 1957-1973, and finally, a male torso again since 1974 to present.

There are multiple versions that differ in composition.

The Order features an obverse inscription that translates to "For Merit."