In plain sight are delapidated roofs, vegetation, unlocked doors, deteriorating caskets & broken glass & marble caused by lack of maintenance, theft, & vandalism. But each day it receives more & more Argentine & foreign tourists.<\/p>\n
Each day Recoleta Cemetery receives hundreds of Argentine & foreign visitors. The total is calculated to be 1,500 per week, although guides say that there are more than 1,000 per day. But while tourism is on the rise, the actual functioning of what was the city\u2019s first public cemetery is on the decline. In the first 6 months of this year there were 127 burials, less than one per day. As certain families have left no descendants, there are vaults decay due to lack of maintenance & forgetfulness. Tourists stroll between sepulchres with faded names & broken marble.<\/p>\n
While searching for Evita\u2019s tomb or discovering the sculpture by Lola Mora on the L\u00f3pez Lecube family vault, the visitor encounters others not so well cared for. Like that of Luis Vernet, first governor of the Falkland Islands, which has broken ceiling vents. The July 2006 hailstorm was disastrous. Glass rooftop fixtures were destroyed & not all were replaced. There are coffins which are practically out in the open. \u201cPeople who take my guided tours ask me why nothing is done for those monuments,\u201d says historian Eduardo Lazzari of the Council of Historic Studies of Buen Ayre.<\/p>\n
![\"Broken](\"http:\/\/www.recoletacemetery.com\/images\/200711F28.jpg\" "\\"Broken")
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\u201cThere are many neglected vaults, but that does not mean that they are abandoned,\u201d states architect Antonio Constantino, head of the Dept of Works of the General Cemetery Administration. \u201cIn fact, they continue to serve their purpose. In some cases it is difficult to determine if the owners passed away completely or if they live in another city. Furthermore, a cemetery should not be pristine, & it’s ok that some tombs reflect the passage of time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Disorder can be seen in certain open vaults, as if someone had been digging for posthumous treasure. \u201cAlthough it has been stopped with better private & public police surveillance, until recently antique dealers used the cemetery to collect items to sell,\u201d reveals Constantino.<\/p>\n
Cobwebs accentuate the gloomy atmosphere, broken by cats that sleep in the sun on top of certain tombs. Someone feeds them well between the sepulchres. Life also breaks through with plant life invading vaults where no one visits.<\/p>\n
![\"Vegetation,](\"http:\/\/www.recoletacemetery.com\/images\/200711F21.jpg\" "\\"Vegetation,")
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\u201cSo-called abandoned vaults are really not abandoned: since they are private property, when the original owner dies they are passed on to their heirs,\u201d explains Horacio Humberto Savoia, of the Friends\u2019 Association of Recoleta Cemetery. \u201cIt\u2019s true that in some cases it is difficult to find them but not impossible. We have contacted families who own vaults in poor condition &, under the guidance of our association, repairs have been done\u2026 even complicated restoration.\u201d The entity collects funds by selling maps at the cemetery entrance for 4 pesos.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the last 10 years basic repairs have been done, from the walkway tiles to the drainage system & lighting,\u201d says Constantino. \u201cTwo galleries of niches have also been restored so they can be used & the third will be repaired soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the vaults, granted under a law of perpetual concession, should be maintained by their owners. \u201cSome [tombs] pre-date the existence of the Civil Code,\u201d affirms Lazzari. \u201cSince a new census\/inventory has never been done, the present condition of all the tombs is unknown. And the property register is given to the owner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Owners pay an annual fee of 38 pesos per square meter for vaults that are valued from U$S 22,000 to numbers with 5 zeros. \u201cThere are those who pay the fee but fail to maintain the tomb,\u201d says Constantino. \u201cSometimes damage from humidity in one vault affects its neighbor & if the owner can\u2019t be found, we have to authorize the affected neighbor to repair both.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the stone of a sepulchre, a tourist named Andhy [sic] clumsily scratched, \u201cFuck him, yeah.\u201d Also some vaults with niches have broken marble through which half-open boxes seem to creep out. \u201cThere is a lot of vandalism: last year some kids hid inside after closing hours & did a lot of damage at night,\u201d tells Constantino. \u201cThe sword for the bronze statue at Lavalle\u2019s tomb has been welded over 20 times because it\u2019s constantly being pulled on. Finally it was decided to keep it in a safe place.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne time I counted how many people entered in one hour & the number was more than 1,000,\u201d Lazzari points out. \u201cPeople come in with bags & plaques have disappeared. Also the goths come here, kids who wear all black, to take pictures & shoot films. Once I saw a girl who only wore a black overcoat so she could have naked photos taken inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Savoia, who led a protest against a light & sound show two years ago in the cemetery, adds: \u201cYou can\u2019t lose sight that the purpose of a cemetery is that the dead rest in peace for eternity.\u201d Lazzari, whose family also owns one of the vaults, assures: \u201cIt doesn\u2019t bother me that people visit the cemetery, but the existing infrastructure is inadequate.\u201d<\/p>\n
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