Mis Aventuras en Buenos Aires: Cementerio de la Recoleta

City of the Dead

This past Friday CEA took us to the famous Recoleta Cemetery. This cemetery is 14 acres big, containing 4,691 vaults. This cemetery is for the dead elites of Buenos Aires; containing graves of many notable people like Eva Perón, former presidents, Nobel prize winners, military figures, ect. It is listed as one of the world's best cemeteries.

Inside we found the city of the dead, where anyone who was anyone is buried. The origins of the cemetery are at the entrance, newer ones the further you go out into the labyrinth. One could walk for days in there. All around are grand mausoleums of stone and bronze serving as symbols of Buenos Aires' golden age when it was one of the richest cities in the world. Each grave was a piece of art, the living legacy of the dead citizens in the city. Every corner we turned stole my breath away.

Inside the city of the dead, we learned some interesting stories about some of the graves inside.

Tomb of Liliana Crociati de Szaszak

Liliana was 26 years old when she passed away. She was in a hotel with her husband, just beginning their honeymoon together. An avalanche struck the hotel and killed her. She is dressed in her wedding dress in the statue. Her father had known something had happened to his daughter when her dog, Sabu, died the same night she did. On her grave there is also included a beautiful poem from her father.

The Tomb of Rufina Cambaceres

Rufina was a 19 year old beautiful socialite of Buenos Aires. One night as she was getting ready to attend a show, she collapsed without warning onto the floor. She was pronounced dead, and was put to be put in her coffin and placed in the family mausoleum.

A little while later a cemetery worker had noticed that the coffin had moved inside of the crypt. Expecting a grave robbery he discovered something much, much worse. Found inside the coffin were scratch marks all over, and Rufina, really dead this time, hands and face bruised from having tried to break out of the coffin.

Doctors now speculate that at the time she may have had a condition that had slowed her heart rate down so slowly that the doctors at the time would have thought she was dead. Now we have technology that can detect it, unfortunate for Rufina.

Mrs. Tiburcia Dominguez & Mr. Salvador María del Carril

This not so happy couple spent 30 years of their married lives without speaking to one another. The hatred they lived with for years was taken to their graves after the widow stated in her will that their statues were to be facing opposite directions. A true homage to their marriage. A little funny, and quite unfortunate.

If you ever visit Buenos Aires, I strongly urge you to visit this incredible cemetery...