December 2007 – Page 4

063. reflections

Published by Robert on 15 December 2007

One of my favorite photo tricks in Recoleta Cemetery is incorporating exteriors & interiors in the same image. Stained glass windows become great focal points when combined with the reflection from the vault door. Here’s an example:

Reflections, Recoleta Cemetery

By focusing on the stained glass with the correct lighting, a compound image is easy. In the next pic, an illuminated María looks down on a tourist with a map:

Reflections, Recoleta Cemetery

Or Jesus is taken down from the cross… like the one in the background:

Reflections, Recoleta Cemetery

A combination of exteriors can be interesting as well:

Reflections, Recoleta Cemetery

To take photos like these, adjust your vision when looking inside vaults. Sometimes the reflection is more rewarding than the interior itself. They can be everywhere from a pool of water to black granite.

062. map development 1

Published by Robert on 14 December 2007

During my first visit to Buenos Aires in March 2000, I was like every newbie in town. I wanted to see where Eva Perón was buried… assured that seeing her tomb would spark some kind of epiphany. The only problem was that there was no map to guide me. I could have asked anyone, but I challenged myself to find Evita on my own. It took me FOUR visits to the cemetery until I finally stumbled upon the site. At least I got a good overview of the cemetery while awaiting that discovery.

After moving to Buenos Aires at the end of 2000, I rarely visited the cemetery. I didn’t know what to make of it, nor did I really understand its importance. In July 2003 I noticed a map had finally been posted at the entrance gate. Hand-drawn with 85 spots to visit, it was hardly impressive or practical. But it was better than nothing:

July 2003 map, Recoleta Cemetery

I was beginning to realize that something had to be done…

Read the complete story in the following posts titled “map development”: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 & Part 7. Good news! The PDF guidebook is now available.

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061. ouroboros

Published by Robert on 13 December 2007

Taken from a Greek phrase meaning “tail devourer,” this ancient symbol of a serpent eating its tail is perfect for a cemetery. Representing an eternal cycle of renewal, death is not seen as an end… it’s another beginning.

Ouroboros, Recoleta Cemetery

The serpent is often accompanied by a sphere—another symbol of eternity—or some other circular form. The ouroboros on front gate is difficult to make out from a distance:

Ouroboros, Recoleta Cemetery

Another beautiful example is on the Demarchi y Quiroga family vault. For an explanation of the moth, see this post:

Ouroboros, Recoleta Cemetery

060. herrera-noble

Published by Robert on 12 December 2007

Herrera-Noble, Recoleta Cemetery

Roberto Noble founded Clarín on 28 August 1945 & is currently the most widely distributed newspaper in Argentina with over 400,000 copies printed daily… notable for retaining the tabloid (not broadsheet) layout to this day. The entire first edition was released as a PDF for its 50th anniversary in 2005. Below is that first front page headlining the atomic bomb dropped in Nagasaki & subsequent end of World War II:

Clarín, first edition

After Noble passed away in 1969, his wife—Ernestina Herrera de Noble—has successfully managed the paper. In the 1990s, she branched the company into all types of media. Currently the Grupo Clarín owns:

an AM station (Radio Mitre)
an FM station (99.9)
the AGR publishing facility
multiple regional newspapers
a national news agency (DyN)
the Canal 13 Buenos Aires public tv channel
three major cable stations (24-hr news coverage with Todo Noticias, sports coverage with TyC & classic Argie programming with Volver)
the Multicanal & Cablevisión cable networks
much, much more!

Herrera de Noble appeared in the news in 2002 after being indicted for adopting two children during Argentina’s last military dictatorship (1976-83). The children were up for adoption since their parents had been killed by the government & supposedly figured among the nation’s estimated 30,000 desaparecidos. The trial was later ruled in Herrera de Noble’s favor & charges dropped. But the results weren’t good enough for some people… additional DNA screenings performed in December 2007 proved negative for two families claiming to be birth relatives. Important not only for healing wounds caused by a dictatorship 40 years ago, other families will likely think twice before attempting to claim the enormous fortune of Herrera de Noble.

The adopted children underwent further DNA screening in July 2011, with results compared to the national DNA database of families who had children stolen during the years 1975 & 1976. All results were negative & hopefully the issue has been put to rest. At this point, many feel a formal apology should be issued since President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner & Grupo Clarín have been at odds for years… CFK likely hoped to send Ernestina Herrera de Noble to prison for human rights violations.

The Sociedad Argentina de Actores y Compositores de Música left a beautiful wreath in January 2008 on the anniversary of Noble’s death. During his time as a Representative in Congress, Noble pushed through a 1933 law establishing intellectual property rights.

S.A.D.A.I.C. wreath, Recoleta Cemetery

Ernestina Herrera de Noble passed away on 14 June 2017 at the age of 92. Clarín published an extensive biography of her life & success at the helm of company holdings. Three weeks before she passed away, Herrera de Noble was absolved from another court case backed by CFK’s former government. Ernestina had the last word after all.

Buenos Aires, Recoleta Cemetery, Ernestina Herrera de Noble