The Teatro Nacional Cervantes is Argentina's national stage and comedy theatre. It stands on Córdoba Avenue in Buenos Aires, about two blocks north of the Colón Theatre. The Spanish theatre producer María Guerrero and her husband, Fernando Díaz de Mendoza, set aside part of their fortune in 1918 to build it. It is in the Spanish baroque style and is named after Miguel de Cervantes. It opened on September 5, 1921, with Lope de Vega's La dama boba.
A major fire in 1961 nearly destroyed the building. It was modernized, with a 17-story annex, and reopened in 1968, and the main hall was rebuilt to its original specifications.
The María Guerrero hall seats 860. Its 456-square-meter stage has a 12-meter rotating platform. The Luisa Vehíl hall is known for its extensive gold leaf decor.
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