La Recoleta Cemetery

We woke to a morning of more rain. I swear it is following us. We decided to eat a late breakfast and luckily for us the weather seemed to clear up by early afternoon. One of my favorite things last time I was here was the La Recoleta Cemetery and I wanted to share that with Jason. Our hotel is within walking distance and the cemetery just happens to also be where we got drinks the first night. It is definitely odd that their is this beautiful cemetery next to a mall and a boulevard of bars. But I guess you always have to try and monetize your best assets.

It was a light drizzle when we entered which is kinda perfect for wandering a cemetery. The tombs are very impressive, some with giant statues and monuments to the people buried underneath. On the other hand some are broken with trash inside and it breaks your heart to see something that was once so beautiful just fall apart. You think, did the family run out of money? Did the family tree die out and no one is left to rebuild the tombs? 94 tombs have been declared National Monuments and therefore I assume are taken care of by the state but there are 4,600 other tombs that need to be maintained by the family members. If you don't pay rent for your tomb, they remove your body and give the spot to someone who can pay.

Many notable residents are presidents, Eva Peron, Eduardo Wilde and many others that are unfortunately lost on my non cultured American self. 

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (February 15, 1811 – September 11, 1888) was an Argentine activist, intellectual, writer, statesman and the seventh President of Argentina. His writing spanned a wide range of genres and topics, from journalism to autobiography, to political philosophy and history. He was a member of a group of intellectuals, known as the Generation of 1837, who had a great influence on nineteenth-century Argentina. He was particularly concerned with educational issues and was also an important influence on the region's literature. 

 

María Eva Duarte de Perón (May 7, 1919 – July 26, 1952) was the second wife of Argentine President Juan Perón (1895–1974) and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is usually referred to as Eva Perón or by the affectionate Spanish language diminutive Evita.

The tomb of Liliana Crociati de Szaszak is a tomb known for its unusual design. 26-year-old Liliana Crociati de Szaszak (1944–1970) was in Innsbruck, Austria on 26 February 1970, when her hotel was struck by an avalanche, killing her. Her tomb was designed by her mother in the Neo-Gothic style, in sharp contrast to the other tombs in the cemetery. Adjacent to the tomb stands a dais adorned with a plaque containing an Italian-language poem by her father, and topped by a life-size green bronze statue of Crociati de Szaszak in her wedding dress, by sculptor Wíeredovol Viladrich.Following the death of Crociati's dog Sabú, a bronze statue of the dog, also by Viladrich, was added, with Crociati's hand resting on the dog's head

Luis Ángel Firpo, (October 11, 1894 – August 7, 1960), was an Argentine boxer.

Admiral William Brown (also known in Spanish as Guillermo Brown) (22 June 1777 – 3 March 1857) was an Irish-born Argentine Admiral. Brown's victories in the Independence War, the Cisplatine War, and the Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata earned the respect and appreciation of the Argentine people, and today he is regarded as one of Argentina's national heroes. Creator and first admiral of the country's maritime forces, he is commonly known as the "father of the Argentine Navy".

Images and descriptions from Wikipedia. Wiki you are the best. :)