With gingko trees growing for the last two years, a new sidewalk & benches, the exterior of Recoleta Cemetery looks the best it has in ten years… in spite of destroying the entrance gate staircase.
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In spite of its grandeur, Recoleta Cemetery is not very large. It is only as big as four city blocks, but more than 4,700 tombs & mausoleums can be found among its narrow walkways. Smaller plots have only one coffin while larger ones can have more than 50. To maintain them all —checking drainage pipes, fixing floors, trimming trees & an endless list of other chores— there are some 65 caretakers… very nice people, passionate about the cemetery & who in several occasions act as guides for the unavoidable tourist who wants to know the quickest way to the tomb of Eva Perón.
A simple bit of math reveals that each caretaker has the responsiblity to maintain about 70 tombs, large or small. Not all of those tombs are cleaned or cared for since some families do not pay the corresponding maintenance fee —according to the official Buenos Aires city government website currently 48 pesos or about US$ 12.50 per square meter. Tombs not paid for are neglected by caretakers. The reason, according to one of the cemetery workers, is simple: each caretaker receives as their salary a percentage of what the tomb owner pays to the city government. And in many cases, due to the number of mausoleums in any particular sector which pay no taxes, the money provided to caretakers per month is very little… less than 500 pesos or US$ 130 at the current exchange rate.
Some of the biggest vaults, like that of the Familia Leloir, also pay the aguinaldo (a year-end bonus equivalent to one month’s salary) to the city which ends up going to the caretaker. In addition, some families give extra cash directly to the caretaker to ensure better maintenance… a tip of sorts.
Caretakers appear everywhere in the cemetery, visible at any time of day. They are easily recognized by their gray workclothes & their characteristic way of referring to the cemetery: the capacity of a vault is measured in “beds,” not coffins, & the dead who occupy them are “tenants.”
What unites them, as mentioned in the beginning of this post, is their love for Recoleta Cemetery. And their dream, their personal utopia, might just be reaching the status of the most famous caretaker of them all: David Alleno, the only cemetery worker who is buried there.
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Take this blog with you! Several years, thousands of photos & 24 pages later, the only guidebook to Recoleta Cemetery which can be easily used inside is available for purchase.
The PDF has a clean & crisp look, designed to be printed either at home or while in Buenos Aires. It covers 70 tombs & mausoleums, divided into easy-to-navigate sections of about 10 tombs each. In addition, there are sections which discuss the foundation of the cemetery, its current operation, some of the symbolism to be found inside, & a full-page master map… in fact, it is the only accurate map in existence.
The walk focuses on art & architecture, a number of important historical events, a bit of urban legend & of course the cemetery’s most famous resident. Eva María Duarte de Perón —simply Evita to her devotées— had a bizarre post-mortem journey which is described at length. The entire walk should take about two hours to complete… keep in mind that the PDF is directed to those who want to explore the cemetery in depth.
Purchase from PayPal for US$ 5.99 on the dedicated sale page. A download link will appear after the sale has been approved. Thanks for supporting our research!
To learn about the making of this guide, the following series of posts titled “map development” chronicles the journey: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, & part 7.
Update (Jul 2020): The COVID-19 pandemic has had at least one positive result: time to redesign the entire PDF guide to Recoleta Cemetery. New sections & dozens of color photos were added, but the price remains the same. Check it out!
The angel has unfortunately lost its wings due to encroaching neighbors, but this continues to be one of the most striking monuments in Recoleta Cemetery.
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A cenotaph to Luis Viale proudly sat in Recoleta Cemetery but has since been moved. An Italian immigrant dedicated to business & banking, Viale was best known for his acts of bravery & selfless courage. The last life he saved was during the 1871 sinking of the U.S. paddle steamer “America” off the coast of Montevideo after sailing from Buenos Aires. Seeing friend Carmen Piñedo de Marcó del Pont —pregnant & without a lifebuoy— Viale gave his own away… & later drowned along with 140 other passengers.
Paid for by public subscription, the statue by Italian sculptor Odoardo Tabacchi occupied a prominent location along the back wall of the cemetery from 1893 to 1928. After several changes of location & now called the “Monumento a Luis Viale,” the statue can be found in Costanera Sur, dwarfed by neighboring highrises of Puerto Madero:
As a sidenote, the great-grandson of the unborn child saved by Viale is Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, mayor of Buenos Aires from 2015 to 2023.
Update (30 Nov 2025): We don’t have the source or date for the following photograph, but it’s too interesting not to post… apparently showing the construction & placement of the cenotaph in 1893. Any data concerning this image’s origin is appreciated.
Top photo courtesy of the Archivo General de la Nación. Second photo courtesy of Gabriel Arango.
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