Month: April 2009

After the burial & the three official days of mourning were complete, Recoleta Cemetery once again opened to the public. A steady stream of people found their way to the back wall to pay their last respects:

However the UCR Pantheon will only be a temporary resting place for Alfonsín. His personal tomb has been under construction for some time, but unfortunately workers were unable to finish before he passed away. As reported by Clarín, no one is sure when the tomb will be complete or when transfer of the body will take place. The large, modern tomb occupies the space of several former smaller vaults & currently has no door:

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After ending the wake around 10:00, a mass for Alfonsín was said by his cousin, Archbishop José María Arancedo, on the steps of the National Congress:

Accompanied by the mounted Honor Guard, the casket moved slowly up Avenida Callao toward Recoleta Cemetery. Barricades disappeared by the time the casket reached Avenida Corrientes, & several hundred people followed the funeral procession:

Meanwhile, everything was under control at Recoleta Cemetery, but somehow a few people had made it past the Policia Federal. Crowds of eventually three to four people deep waited for the procession to arrive at the intersection with Guido:

The motorcycle brigade announced Alfonsín’s arrival, blaring their sirens & making sure the way was clear:

Then the Horse Guard came into sight:

So many people accompanied the casket at this point (friends, family, followers, & what seemed like hundreds of press photographers), that it was difficult to see. The pics didn’t turn out very well, & at one point I stopped trying to capture a good shot in order to experience what was going on around me.

Trying to get as close to the entrance gate as possible, we went around Vicente López & found ourselves face to face with the Horse Guard. The horses were surprisingly calm given the amount of activity around them:

Then we realized that the casket was still making its way to the cemetery. Everyone wanted a photo; everyone wanted one last look at Alfonsín. Police cars, horses & human barricades began to clear a path for the casket to keep moving. In the process, I was separated from Jeff… the police really had no idea what they were doing as throngs of people were pushed around & for several minutes the procession was stuck. At least I got a better look at the casket & a few decent pics:

Unable to find Jeff, I opted to return home & see the rest on tv. There was little chance of entering the cemetery given the general confusion. Some family members didn’t even make it inside before the gate was shut. Two hours & eight eulogies later, the casket was finally taken into the crypt… not an easy task since the staircase has about a 60º angle! The Granaderos had to let the cemetery caretakers do their job:

Photo credits: 1-5 by Marcelo Metayer / 6 + 18-20 by EFE / 7-17 by Robert Wright.

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From early morning, hundreds of people queued to pay their final respects to former President Raúl Alfonsín who had passed away the night before. His casket was brought to the National Congress at 10:00 & after a brief ceremony, the public began to pour in. Vice-President Julio Cobos was present during most of the morning:

The wake was open casket, & Alfonsín had been decorated with two trademarks of the Presidency: a sash replicating the Argentine flag & a bastón. The public filed by at the foot of the casket, just out of reach. Special guests such as relatives, local & foreign politicians, or friends were able to access the body & express their condolences to  family members present. All this time cameras rolled & the entire event broadcast live on Senado TV, Canal 7 & several of the news networks:

When crowds grew larger throughout the day, the decision was made to keep Congress open all night. An estimated 30,000+ people were able to express their gratitude one last time to Alfonsín.

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With the funeral scheduled for 12:00 the following day, Recoleta Cemetery was surprisingly calm. At the 1890 Revolution pantheon where Alfonsín would be laid to rest, the only person to be seen was the caretaker. He descended a staircase to the entrance & came up a few moments later. When asked if everything was ready for tomorrow, he said: “Sure. It’s all taken care of.”

Looking inside, it didn’t seem as if anyone had been moved to accomodate Alfonsín. Yrigoyen was still top center. Only a few flowers & a decorative ribbon with the UCR political party’s colors decorated the door:

Asking around, it turned out that the cemetery was to be closed to the public the following day. Scaffolding was going up immediately in front of the entrance gate where several people had been invited to speak about Alfonsín. The Policia Federal were getting a little antsy… they even told Flor she had to stop selling maps at 16:30 so they could get to work. Maybe there would be a way inside tomorrow…

Photo credits: 1 – Aníbal Greco, La Nación • 2 & 3 – Federico Guastavino, La Nación • 4 – EFE • 5 – Rafael Saralegui, Europa Press • 6 & 7 – Robert Wright

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