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221. familia de lucas gonzález ◊

Oriented for maximum attention, a statue of a seated woman marks the end of a walkway in the rear section of the cemetery. Neighboring tombs have been skillfully used as a frame:

Roque Sáenz Peña, Recoleta Cemetery

The base of the statue group aligns correctly with the family crypt, but both cross & woman turn slightly to take advantage of the location & impress visitors:

Roque Sáenz Peña, Recoleta Cemetery

Roque Sáenz Peña, Recoleta Cemetery

The most famous member of the González family is actually an in-law. Roque Sáenz Peña married Rosa González Delgado (daughter of Lucas), & the entire back wall is covered with plaques dedicated to Roque. This is an important reminder that visitors should always pay attention to plaques:

Roque Sáenz Peña, Recoleta Cemetery

Roque Sáenz Peña, Recoleta Cemetery

Both Roque & his father, Luis, had influential careers in politics. During the 1890s father & son were manipulated by opposing factions to run against each other for the presidency. Roque took the high road, declined his own nomination, & let his dad win. He’d get another opportunity, & Roque became President in 1910.

Roque Sáenz Peña did something unexpected after two years in office… he ended decades of election fraud which put families like his own in power & gave the right to vote to every male in Argentina. Universal male suffrage went into effect in 1912, but Roque would not live to witness the first popular election. Dying in office in 1914, Vice-President Victorino de la Plaza took over until Roque’s six-year term finished. In 1916, Hipólito Yrigoyen became the first President elected by popular vote.

Women didn’t receive the right to vote until 1947—one of the lasting accomplishments of Eva Perón. Her motivations were likely more political than for women’s rights since she counted on all the new voters to re-elect Perón for a second, consecutive term in 1952.

Update (30 Dec 2011): This crypt was declared a national historic monument in November 2011.

Published inPoliticiansPresidents

4 Comments

  1. Juan. Juan.

    Poca gente sabe que en realidad el no deseaba casarse con la que fue su mujer, estaba enamorado de otra mujer de clase menor con quién su padre no le permitió casarse porque era… Oops! Su media hermana, Saenz Peña padre tenía amantes y Roque hijo totalmente despechado marchó a la guerra del Perú pidiendo estar siempre en las primeras filas con el secreto fin de morir en ella, lo cual no logró. Su mujer resultó una persona muy enfermiza, de hecho la galería de la casa Rosada (no recuerdo si fue el único que vivió en ella) fue cerrada para que ella no sufriera, creo que de los pulmones. Suficiente chusmerío histórico por hoy. 😉

  2. Juan – Interesante dato. Suena mas como chusmerío histórico, como decis, que otra cosa pero es entretenido igual. Menos mal que no murió Roque por causa de amor! jajaja

  3. I have been researching my genealogy,and found a lucas gonzalez married to a maria del Llano, im trying to tied all del Llano families together to see how they are related,do you know any information, they married in valladollid in1614, and its theearliest record i have found of a del Llano. I also know they are many gonzales del Llano, any relation to you. please email me ,if you come across any information.

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