Resting in Recoleta - Death & Angels

The “streets” of El Cementario de la Recoleta are filled with marble mausoleums, soaring statues, and sanctimonious sarcophagi. The final resting place of Buenos Aires’ dearly-departed is home to wealthy elites, past presidents and social notables. In Argentina, a country with a reputation of being obsessed with appearances, Recoleta is where the rich and famous look fabulous even after their funerals.

 Come wander the streets of Recoleta.

 

Whereas at many cemeteries a lot of time is spent looking down, at Recoleta, much time is spent looking up.

An abundance of angels reside in Recoleta.

Recoleta is also the final resting place of Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, aka Evita, an irritation to some elites who are buried just inches away. The “streets” of this exclusive city are so narrow, a decent photo is not possible without a wide-angle lens.

For me, I would like an elaborate mausoleum, something with sculptures in the style of my favorite artist, Rodin.

Also, I would like beautiful ironwork or a sculpted entry for my final home.

But, it is said that it’s cheaper to live extravagantly all your life than to be buried in Recoleta. So, maybe I can find a fixer-upper, something that needs a little work and some fresh paint.

 

Or maybe I could end up like Tomas Guido, a general in the Argentine War of Independence, and negotiate a pile of rocks and stones. His is a rather notable tomb in an otherwise over-the-top maze of marble and granite grandiosity.

One last photograph, a self-portrait, as I depart El Cementario de Recoleta.

The devil is in the details in the lower left corner.