Advertising pops up in the strangest places. Obviously not meant for the cemetery’s permanent residents, billboards & building-size ads outside the wall compete for the tourist’s attention:
Documenting Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires since 2007
Author: Robert
Laid to rest in a nice example of Art Nouveau—although a bit neglected these days—Timoteo Balbín was a founder & early president of the Banco Español del Río de la Plata. One of many Spanish business ventures in their former colonies, the bank began operating in 1887 as Argentina’s economy picked up steam & it quickly became the largest private institution in the nation. The main branch in Buenos Aires elegantly sat a couple blocks from Plaza de Mayo in La City on the corner of Reconquista & Perón:
After a Menem-era bank buyout left the building abandoned, Banco Galicia purchased the lot for their massive, skyscraper headquarters. Completely out of place & towering over everything in the vicinity, at least they had the decency to save the two street-side façades:
The main Spanish branch in Madrid was equally impressive, near the beginning of Gran Vía on Calle Alcalá. Designed by master architect Antonio Palacios, the location currently houses the headquarters of the Instituto Cervantes:
Like Art Nouveau? Learn about the architects of the era, their individual styles & what makes Art Nouveau in Buenos Aires so unique with a 33-page guide from our sister site, Endless Mile.
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During my last week in Buenos Aires before moving to Sydney, I wanted to make one final visit to Recoleta Cemetery. No camera, no notes… just stroll around & appreciate a place that I’ve come to know better than almost anyone. So today when Marcelo came up from La Plata to say goodbye, we decided to make that final visit together.
Good thing Mar brought his camera because it was the 56th anniversary of Eva Perón’s death. Talk about an appropriate day to make my final call. With almost the same amount of flowers as on her birthday, the crowds were larger & there was much more Peronista propaganda taped near her family vault.
The going was slow, so I read more praise while waiting:
Lots of posters covered the door & a married couple hung around, explaining to everyone what the fuss was about:
This was an interesting wreath given by the National Secretariat of the 62 Peronist Organizations… formed to keep the Peronist ideal alive after his ousting in 1955:
I’ve always thought that the surrounding families wouldn’t appreciate such a spectacle. Eva Perón doesn’t necessarily belong in Recoleta Cemetery—a subtle nuance that most visitors fail to understand. As a champion of the people & an enemy of the upper class, Eva should be resting in peace elsewhere rather than surrounded by those who would have likely hated her. So on any day when Peronistas make a fuss over the Duarte family vault, Eva’s neighbors get plastered with images which are probably not very agreeable to them.
Regardless of political implications, the day was perfect for my last visit to Recoleta Cemetery… until I return to Buenos Aires next year.
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The National Archives (Archivo General de la Nación) house a collection of about 50 historic photos of Recoleta Cemetery. The above photo, taken from the top of the entrance gate, dates from 1953 & shows that very little has changed over the past 50 years.
But compare this photograph to one from 1923 to see dramatic change… in the space of 30 years, all the highrises which now overlook the cemetery were built.
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