Lazy, afternoon shadow in autumn… a great time for taking photos.
Leave a CommentDocumenting Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires since 2007
AfterLife Posts
Wandering around taking photos inside the cemetery, I stumbled upon a small sticker on the side of one vault:
I recognized the name & logo because I live only two blocks from this funeral parlor. I may like Recoleta Cemetery, but I’m not morbid enough to suggest visiting a funeral parlor on the corner of Santa Fe & Callao:
But at least go to the intersection to see the building where Lázaro Costa is the flagship store:
This spectacular high rise was built by Italian architect Mario Palanti, famous for the Palacio Barolo… but this is equally fascinating. Sloped rooftops, rounded balconies & oddly-shaped domes are Palanti’s trademark. At any time of year, sunset is the best time to photograph this luxury apartment building:
One of the most common sculptures in Recoleta Cemetery is a woman, usually cloaked or shrouded, in mourning. Since Catholicism stresses the role of Mary as mother & wife, a grieving woman has powerful symbolism here. Below are examples which range from tender to downright spooky.
While not a large percentage of the immigrant population, a fair number of people arrived to Argentina from Poland. The Unión de los Polacos has a large, modern mausoleum along the back wall of the cemetery:
The most illustrious I’ve found are the Count & Countess Zoltowski. He served as the Polish ambassador until his death in 1973:
But not all Polish immigrants were so lucky. Many Polish women in the early 1900s were brought to Argentina under the pretext of marriage to a wealthy, local businessman. Unfortunately when they disembarked, they were forced to work in prostitution. It was as dangerous then as it is now & over 1,000 of those women were buried in Avellaneda in a place called the Cemetery of Lost Souls (Cementerio de las Almas Perdidas).
9 Comments