Documenting Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires since 2007
Author: Robert
Occupying an unusually large chunk of real estate, the Llavallol family vault appears to have seen better days. Founders of the family line receive praise with engraved tombstones on the façade… Jayme Llavallol y del Riú was originally from Barcelona & his wife, Gertrudis Merlo, was 100% porteña:
Felipe Llavallol, son of Jayme & Gertrudis, was the most famous family member, occupying several high-ranking business & government positions in Buenos Aires. As Vice-Governor of the short-lived State of Buenos Aires (named so after seceding from the Confederación Argentina), Llavallol assumed the top spot after the Battle of Cepeda in 1859. Urquiza’s forces won the fight, Buenos Aires was re-incorporated into the nation, Governor Valentín Alsina resigned, & Llavallol took over for the next several months. No doubt he is buried here as well, but the interior only shows a lot of structural damage & neglect… no sign of Felipe:
The most decorative part of the vault can be found on the top with a chubby cherub bearing a wreath. Other symbols present are an ouroboros, an hourglass with wings, & an exceptional skull & crossbones:
With no further room for expansion, an interesting phenomenon developed in Recoleta Cemetery—the resale of tombs. If a family decides to use another cemetery, they can transfer caskets & personal effects to the new location & sell their mausoleum to someone else. Given high construction costs, new owners typically opt for renovation of the existing tomb & tack on their name instead of building an entirely new structure.
Family vaults which have been resold can be easily identified. Look for name plates which appear pasted over the original owners:
Sometimes new tenants don’t bother erasing the previous owners’ name:
Other times a new nameplate obviously covers the previous family name:
Or a patchwork job erases the past:
When a family name doesn’t match either the style or font of the original owner, it’s a dead giveaway:
The city government of Buenos Aires decided to spend some cash to improve the changing rooms & the personnel restrooms. I’m sure employees will welcome the improved facilities, but the public restrooms should be the next priority given their current run-down state.
According to the sign, the contract was granted on November 22, 2007 & the 3-month project began on December 3rd. Total cost: over $105,000 pesos or a little more than U$S 33,000… a minimal investment.
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