Posted July 5, 2018 by travelaroundthegalaxy south america

La Recoleta Cemetary

We found Buenos Aires to be one of the most photogenic cities we visited on our 6-week journey across South America. The city is home to many statues and monuments which are surrounded by unique architecture built with a strong Spanish and European influence. One of the most stunning places we visited on our trip was La Recoleta Cemetary, which is the burial ground of choice for the richest and most famous of all Argentine’s since it was built in 1822.

Over 90 of the tombs located at this cemetery are listed as National Historical Monuments. This famous cemetery is where many of the countries most celebrated heroes are buried here in grand mausoleums and surrounded by statues and monuments. One of the most famous residents here is the gave of Eva Peron, the wife of one of Argentina’s presidents. She was made famous (to me at least) by the movie Evita, which starred Madonna and featured the song “Don’t cry for me Argentina”.

Few people might consider putting a visit to a cemetery high up on their list of vacation destinations, but La Recoleta is different. Walking around the impressive cemetery, surrounded by beautiful monuments and statues, will be one of your highlights of a trip to Argentina. I will admit, it does feel a little bit eerie wandering around the resting places of the dead, but there are so many spectacular resting places that the feeling is quick to subside.

The whole purpose of a burial place is a remembrance, and it is nice to appreciate the lives of strangers based on how much they were loved after they were gone. We went through all of our pictures from Buenos Aires yesterday, and there were just too many from Recoleta that they deserved their own home. We hope you enjoy!