Recoleta Cemetery

Located on a hill in the Recoleta neighborhood is one of the most unusual cemeteries in the world. The site which was declared Buenos Aires's first official public burial place in 1822 contains no less than 4,691 vaults. Each one is uniquely constructed from architectural styles that range from Greek temples to miniature Baroque cathedrals.

The entrance fee to the cemetery was 2030 pesos, payable only by debit or credit card. Once we were inside, we met Simon, an English teacher who married an Argentinian woman over 20 years ago. He now lives in BA and is an unofficial guide for the Recoleta Cemetery, offering his services on a pay as you wish basis. We joined his tour and were very happy that we did.

Simon told us stories of several of the cemetery's "inhabitants" that really made the grave site come "alive" but in a magical rather than a macabre way. Some highlights include:

Eva "Evita" Peron (née Duarte):
The final resting place of the nation’s iconic first lady, idolized by the public until her death from cancer in 1952, is completely unremarkable. Three years after her death, her embalmed corpse was removed by the Argentinian military in the wake of a coup that deposed her husband, President Juan Peron. Her body was moved from one hiding spot to another and was eventually buried in Milan under a false name before it was repatriated to Argentina 20 years later and buried in the Duarte family tomb.

Liliana Crociati de Szaszak
A young bride killed in an avalanche while honeymooning in the Alps. Her parents apparently modeled her grave on her childhood room. Her dog, Sabu, coincidentally died around the same time as Liliana and was taxidermied and entombed with her despite laws prohibiting animal remains in the cemetery. It is said that rubbing Sabu's nose will bring you luck.

Rufine Cambaceres
Nineteen year old young woman who suffered an epileptic seizure and was pronounced dead but was in fact buried alive. The story goes that grave-workers heard noise from her grave. When they dug her up, they reportedly saw evidence that she was trying to claw her way out.

Benjamin Breitman
The only Jewish resident in the cemetery. It is curious why he decided to be buried in the Recoleta Cemetery rather than one of the Jewish cemeteries in the city.

Between the tour and our browsing through the corridors of the cemetary, we spent almost two hours there and could easily have spent the entire afternoon.

And although people are dying to get into this place of rest, there is no room for any additional vaults.Read more