Skip to content

Month: January 2010

383. tombs for sale

Mercado Libre ad

Something perhaps not all visitors realize is that Recoleta Cemetery is not a museum with permanent exhibits. Burials & ceremonies still occur & although there is something built on every square meter, it remains possible to find a burial spot there. According to real estate agents in the area, between 10-20% of the cemetery’s vaults are always for sale at any given time. In other words between 500-1,000 lots… quite a large number.

But Recoleta is not cheap… not the neighborhood nor its famous cemetery. An easy way to understand its relative cost is by looking at the rates charged by the city government for a burial niche. In Chacarita & Flores, the other large cementeries in Buenos Aires [also administered by the city], a first row niche costs 55 pesos per year & in Recoleta they charge 398 pesos… 720% more!

The same kind of price scheme applies to vaults. The majority are discreetly sold by real estate agencies in the area —obviously a “for sale” sign would never appear on a vault— but they can be purchased online through sites like Mercado Libre [the Argentine equivalent of eBay], & a greater price difference between cemeteries can be seen. A vault with 18 coffin beds costs US$ 16,000 in Chacarita & US$ 39,000 in Recoleta. The ads get your attention: “wrought-iron door, chapel with double altar, stained glass, marble staircase.” Luxurious. Although even that is not as expensive as it gets. There are vaults for sale which cost up to US$ 150,000.

Of course the largest & most famous vaults are priceless… & in those cases the family usually does everything possible to hold on to them. If anyone dreams about ending their days in Recoleta Cemetery, the only available option is to find a mid- to lower price range vault.

3 Comments

382. tombstone recycling

Tombstone, Recoleta Cemetery

As Recoleta Cemetery slowly grew in status, its layout changed from grassy plots with simple tombstones to one of ornate mausoleums & vaults. Leftover from early days, a number of modest tombstones still dot the grounds… usually of Irish Catholic origin. Other tombstones were incorporated into the walls of family mausoleums. Most examples of this bizarre form of recycling are found in the section immediately to the left of the entrance gate, a few rows over from General Alvear:

Tombstone, Recoleta Cemetery

Tombstone, Recoleta Cemetery

4 Comments

381. updates

Posts in AfterLife are frequently updated to reflect new or continuing developments, but most readers rarely sift through previous listings. No worries. Below are four important updates recently made… click on the link for the original post & scroll to the bottom to read the complete update.

————————————

  • Back in Feb 2009, there was controversy over the possible repatriation of the remains of Jorge Luis Borges. Stopped by his widow, María Kodama, Borges will not be joining his relatives in Recoleta Cemetery any time soon.

  • The cemetery entrance remains a construction site six months after removal of the marble staircase in Aug 2009. The access ramp was quickly completed on the left side, but heritage organizations stopped any further work. Irreparable damage to the staircase has already occurred, so why keep the entrance in such a horrible condition?

  • Marcelo has made a lot of progress in uncovering facts behind the death of Liliana Crociati de Szaszak. With 34 comments to date, it is the most popular post of this blog & has generated the most controversy. Added to the original post are 1970 newspaper clippings which report the avalanche & consequent rescue mission.

  • We’re still waiting to hear from Congressman Roy Cortina for an update about the possible transfer of General José de San Martín proposed in Aug 2008. Stay tuned…
Leave a Comment

380. life magazine, dec 1974

Life magazine, Eva & Juan Perón caskets

Found in the fantastic Life magazine archive; photo credited to Keystone/Getty Images & taken on 10 Dec 1974.

The bodies of Argentinian President Juan Domingo Peron (1895 – 1974) and his first wife Eva Peron, known as Evita, (1919 – 1952) at the Presidential Residence in Buenos Aires where they could be viewed by the public. The body of Eva Peron had been brought from a tomb in Italy.

This photo was taken about one month after the procession (see previous post), & the caskets could not have been on display for long… too much of a security risk. But the Montoneros got what they wanted —Evita back in Argentina.

After Isabel was ousted by the 1976 dictatorship, Eva’s next stop was Recoleta Cemetery. Perón went to his family vault in Chacarita. Although Perón was transferred to his San Vicente country estate in 2006, the (in)famous couple has never been reunited again.

Leave a Comment

379. gente magazine, nov 1974

Revista Gente, 21 nov 1974, "Los restos de Eva Perón están en Argentina"

A wonderful online source, Mágicas Ruinas takes popular magazines from Argentina during the 20th century & reposts original photos & reports… a great documentation source. After the Montoneros held the corpse of de facto President Pedro Aramburu as ransom for the return of Eva Perón embalmed body, she finally returned to Argentina on November 17, 1974. The following article appeared in Gente.

Update (28 Jul 2010): Marcelo obtained a copy of the 21 Nov 1974 issue of Gente, so we replaced the scans from Mágicas Ruinas with our own. Text has also been added & translated which did not appear online.

———————————————

Saturday, the 16th, 16:00. The Aerolíneas Argentinas Boeing 707 especially destined for the final transfer to Argentina of the mortal remains of María Eva Duarte de Perón positioning on the runway of the international airport in Barajas, Madrid, ready to begin the historic return flight. The funeral procession was sent off by Spanish Foreign Minister Pedro Cortina Mauri. Vigilant reporters waited for hours:

Revista Gente, 21 nov 1974, "Los restos de Eva Perón están en Argentina"

Sunday, the 17th, 06:00. The specially-fitted Aerolíneas Argentinas Boeing 707 has arrived at the Morón air base. An Argentine Air Force Fokker TC-76 waited there, whose mission was to transfer the casket with the remains of Eva Perón to the metropolitan airport (Aeroparque). Heavy security had been placed at both military bases. After 19 years, the remains of Eva Perón returned to the country:

Revista Gente, 21 nov 1974, "Los restos de Eva Perón están en Argentina"

Sunday, the 17th, 10:00. After the Air Force plane landed at Aeroparque, the casket is lowered & place in a hearse which would immediately take it to the official stage, where the President & other high authorities waited. Meanwhile along the coast gathered in silence to witness the procession exit to Olivos:

Revista Gente, 21 nov 1974, "Los restos de Eva Perón están en Argentina"

Aeroparque, military zone, 10:05. From left to right, Ivanissevich, Rocamora, Savino, Campano, Martinez, López Rega, Blanca Duarte & Herminda Duarte (sisters of Eva Perón) & María Estela Martinez:

Revista Gente, 21 nov 1974, "Los restos de Eva Perón están en Argentina"

Funeral prayer. Aeroparque, 10:10. The chaplain of the General San Martín Horse Guard regiment, reverend father Héctor Ponzo, prays a final blessing for the soul of Eva Perón. Impressive general silence:

Revista Gente, 21 nov 1974, "Los restos de Eva Perón están en Argentina"

Aeroparque, Sunday, the 17th, 10:15. After the funeral prayer, the heavily guarded coffin is slowly taken by the hearse out of the military zone area of Aeroparque. Soon after, cars began the journey toward the Presidential residence in Olivos, while people threw flowers on the street & cried out along the entire route: Thank you, Isabel:

Revista Gente, 21 nov 1974, "Los restos de Eva Perón están en Argentina"

The procession, Avenida Libertador & General Paz. Motorcycle Federal Police, dressed in formal uniform, escort the procession, drawing a symmetric & moving scene. The car with the President goes immediately behind the hearse:

Revista Gente, 21 nov 1974, "Los restos de Eva Perón están en Argentina"

Flowers, silence. Along the entire way people threw flowers as the funeral procession passed in Vicente López. The only things left are the empty street, stains of color on the cement, a few police agents & people with signs. The remains of Eva Perón are already in Olivos (the presidential residence):

Revista Gente, 21 nov 1974, "Los restos de Eva Perón están en Argentina"

Waiting. Intersection of Villate & Libertador. The procession is about to enter the residence in Olivos. People who have waited hours express emotion as the coffin of Eva Perón passes. This took 19 years to happen. There are choruses, flags & mourning:

Revista Gente, 21 nov 1974, "Los restos de Eva Perón están en Argentina"

Olivos, Sunday, the 17th, 10:38. The remains of Eva Perón arrive at the Presidencial residence in Olivos. The unloading of the coffin is witnesses by María Estela Martinez de Perón, José López Rega & the Argentine embassador in Spain, José Campano Martinez. At that time, the men & women who had come to receive the body of Eva Perón returned to their homes:

Revista Gente, 21 nov 1974, "Los restos de Eva Perón están en Argentina"

To the crypt. Presidencial residence in Olivos. At 10:40 the coffin with the remains of Eva Perón is taken to the crypt which holds the body of Juan Domingo Perón. A dramatic chapter in Argentine history comes to an end:

Revista Gente, 21 nov 1974, "Los restos de Eva Perón están en Argentina"

Olivos, Sunday, the 17th, 10:45. Historical moment. Eva Perón’s casket enters the crypt where Juan Domingo Perón rests in peace. It was placed on a pedestal in front of the altar to Our Lady of Luján. Within two weeks, after some site improvements, the coffin will be placed alongside that of Perón, where it will remain until the construction of the National Altar:

Revista Gente, 21 nov 1974, "Los restos de Eva Perón están en Argentina"

In the crypt. The casket with the remains of Eva Perón now rests in front of the altar of Our Lady of Luján, in the crypt of the Presidential residence in Olivos. Héctor Ponzo, the chaplain of the Horse Guard regiment, prays again for the soul of the deceased. María Estela Martinez de Perón, José López Rega & José Campano are present. The coffin has been covered by an Argentine flag crossed with a black stripe:

Revista Gente, 21 nov 1974, "Los restos de Eva Perón están en Argentina"

10 Comments