I love cemeteries. I know that sounds strange, but I do.
Cemeteries spark my imagination – the lives lived, the history interred.
The variations of markers, stark and utilitarian — or ornate and sometimes gaudy — all combine to create an intense, reverent, and moving experience.
That said, it is not often that we seek out a graveyard. Usually we stumble upon them hidden away.
Not the case with La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, it should be considered a must-see by any visitor to the Argentine capital.
We entered the cemetery through the giant gates that open into a wide path that serves as the main boulevard through the maze of
mausoleums.
It felt like we had wandered into an unbelievably ornate miniature city, complete with its own skyline.
We meandered through beautifully manicured streets with cobblestones underfoot and lamps to light our way through the departed.
Porches, windows and doors seemed to invite me in, made me want to see more of how the residents lived.
The cemetery and surrounding neighborhood were named for the monks of the Order of the Recoletos, meaning Recollections, who built the adjacent church, Our Lady of Pilar (Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar), in 1732.
Oddly, the cemetery bearing their name wasn’t established until after the monks had been expelled from the country in 1822.
By that time the neighborhood of Recoleta had become one of the city’s most affluent areas and the cemetery soon became the final resting place of choice for most of Argentina‘s rich, famous, and powerful people.
Many of the country’s presidents, as well as business tycoons, artists, boxers, and even one of Napoleon’s grandchildren is interred here.
But the most famous resident would be Eva Perón.
Instead of trying to negotiate our way around using signs and maps, we used the old hang-around-the-periphery-of-a-tour-group-to-overhear-vital-information method.
So by circling around a group of loud, American businessmen we easily found the noteworthy tombs, including the surprisingly understated resting place of former first lady, in the Familia Duarte tomb. If it weren’t for the crowd, the flowers and our covert eavesdropping, we would have never known Evita was there.
I spent the rest of the day delving deeper, in a trance, absorbing details with my camera.
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We exited through the church, where I found some interesting tributes to Jesus Christ. The depictions struck me as quite unique, an excellent description for the entire day.
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Veronica, GypsyNester.com
YOUR TURN: What do you think? Is this the coolest cemetery ever? Are you a cemetery lover like me?
Hi there! Such a great write-up, thank you!
I love cemeteries! In Dayton, OH, we have beautiful Woodland Cemetery, which is home to many of Dayton’s early families. When my kids were little, I would take them to Woodland because they loved to see the Wright Brothers’ graves. Once I had a mini rebellion because we spent too much time there and they were tired…”We hate this place. It smells like dead people!” Fast forward to my 2nd child who is 28 and living in New York City. On our last trip to visit her, I drug her and my husband to Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, where a lot of the who’s who of early NY are buried. No complaining this time around!
Great story, thanks for sharing Diane.
Have walked through many a cemetary around Mystic CT. Love reading all the old names no longer used and also the many sailin Captains who never returned from their voyages.
There is so much history to be found in old cemeteries.
Right there with you! I do love interesting cemeteries. My favorite is the St. Louis Cemetery in New Orleans. Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau has a crypt there. It was the first time I’d seen a cemetery entirely above ground. Thanks for your post….now that we live in Colombia we’ll have to make a trip to Buenos Aires!
We love the St. Louis Cemetery in New Orlean too. There is a little about it on our story here: https://www.gypsynester.com/no.htm
I’m not a cemeteries lover, they make me feel a bit uncomfortable at times, but I do love to explore them while traveling to observe the different architectural styles or cultures.
You are so right, there is much to be learned about a place from a cemetery.
Haven’t been but this beautiful tribute was sumptuous (if I can use that word for a cemetery)
You just did, so you can. 😉
I miss BA!! I love that cemetery, its a real celebration of life. Its also good for cat lovers and anyone looking to shelter in some shade 🙂
I visited this place a couple of week ago when I was there, I loved it just as much! Your photos are great, thanks for sharing.
Thank you for joining us.
This is a really cool cemetery. It really does look like a mini-city within the neighborhood. The coolest cemetery I have been to is one in a little town in Beaufort, NC. It is small, but filled with interested stories.
We’ll have to look for it if we are back in Beaufort sometime. Thanks Suzy.
I do love Recoleta Cemetery, but I also have a soft spot for the “normal” cemeteries around Latin America. They are small, colorful, and feel more personal.
No doubt, we didn’t have enough time to explore too much this time… something for the next time we make it down there.
I loved La Recoleta when I was in Buenos Aires. I could have wandered around in there for an entire afternoon!
I completely understand your fascination with cemeteries. I visit them, too. Would love to see La Recoleta Cemetery — so interesting!
Beautifully written and gorgeous photographs! As I mentioned on your Facebook page, I also have a passion for cemeteries around the world, and I usually find one if I have enough time. So far I have enjoyed cemeteries in Bermuda, Bahamas, New Orleans, Puerto Rico, St. Martin, St. Barths & Caye Caulker, Belize. My favourite two are New Orleans & Puerto Rico! I hope you will come to explore our travel website sometime.
Thanks. Checked out your site, very nice! We have covered a lot of the same ground, especially in the Caribbean. We’ll keep in touch.
I am really glad to see that I am not the only traveler who is drawn to cemeteries and for mostly the same reason you are. We’re just back from a trip to New England where in one Boston cemetery, there are the graves of a few people who were born in the 1590’s. Most North Americans (other than Mexicans) do not think of our shores as having any European population connection to the 16th century.
We also visited the Recoleta Cemetery on a trip to Buenos Aires–and took a lot of the same photos you did. While it is most definitely a cemetery, it is also a powerful sculpture garden.
Great point about the history to be experienced in cemeteries, and you are so right about the sculptures at La Recoleta. It really is a museum.
Cemeteries do have a certain charm about this one. This one is really beautiful.