Recoleta Cemetery

February 03, 2009
Going to the Recoleta Cemetery today made me realize how little I know about the history or the people of Argentina. While Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris is the final resting place for many world renowned cultural figures such as Marcel Proust, Edith Piaf, and Moliere, I had only ever heard of one person buried here: Eva Perón. I guess it was only a matter of time before we made a post that involved Evita, but I was more than a little ashamed of my ignorance. Buried in Recoleta Cemetary are several former presidents of Argentina, a couple Nobel prize winners, military heroes, and many other noteworthy figures from Argentina’s history.


Using the word “buried” to describe the bodies in the cemetery is a bit misleading. Most of the plots in the cemetery are family crypts with lots of coffins in them. Many of the caskets were in plain view behind glass or thin curtains.







Every mausoleum was different. Some were enormous shiny granite monuments honoring a particularly noteworthy member of the family. Others were covered in dust and trash, and many had broken windows. The larger ones had stairs that lead to the bodies kept underground. All in all, it was an interesting experience and ignited my desire to learn more about the history of Argentina.



This is the grave of Luis Angel Firpo, the great Argentine boxer. I knew nothing about him before I went to the cemetery, but apparently "The Wild Bull of the Pampas" could take a punch. His most famous fight came against American Jack Dempsey on September 14, 1923 at the Polo Grounds in New York City. After being dropped seven times by Dempsey in the first round, Firpo recovered and knocked Dempsey through the ropes, out of the ring, and onto a table full of typewriters. Apparantly the three-knockdown TKO and standing eight count were unheard of at that time, because Dempsey was allowed to come back into the ring, and he subsequently knocked Firpo out in the second round. After his retirement from the ring, Firpo became a used car salesman.




A view near the entrance to the cemetery.

This is the Duarte Family crypt. Eva Peron is buried here.