Visiting the famous Recoleta Cemetery is one of those macabre travel experiences. It's a place of death and beauty, a place where you're not quite sure how to act. It's undeniably impressive, rows upon rows of the most intricate tombs you've ever seen, and there's a layer of creepiness that colors the whole experience.
It eternally houses many of Argentina's most famous citizens - presidents, generals, Nobel prize winners - but by far the most famous tomb is that of Evita, famed champion of the Argentinian people. Her place in the cemetery is actually surprisingly small and understated, given her incredible popularity. One of the most visible skyscrapers in Buenos Aires is covered, on 2 sides, by permanent murals of Evita, but in the cemetery she rests in her family's tomb, in a discreet location, her presence only indicated by a few small plaques (and the hordes of tourists surrounding them).
More interesting than seeking out the famous citizens in the cemetery is finding the weird, creepy tombs, of which there are many. Here are two of the creepiest we came across.
As we walked around, we wondered what the criteria for being buried in a place like Recoleta is. Is there some committee in place to determine if a citizen had sufficiently served Argentina? Is it a familial legacy situation? Coming across this small sign, our question was answered. With enough money, you can buy your way into a famous final resting place.
