Buenos Aires is a chic cosmopolitan city that bristles with sensual elegance - a place of smoke-filled tango halls, wide leafy boulevards and street art of a myriad of genres. The city is divided into districts, or barrios, each with an individual style and character. One of the most popular barrios for visitors is exclusive Recoleta, a thoroughly well-heeled area which fronts onto the Rio Plata.
Porteños, the residents of Buenos Aires, seem to have three great passions in life - tango, football and Evita, and it is in this district, in the vast Recoleta Cemetery, that the remains of Eva Peron found their final resting place. For many people Evita is the only reason to visit Recoleta, for some the only reason to visit Buenos Aries. The popularity of this remarkable lady, still intense a half century after her death, has made the cemetery a mecca for thousands of people every day.
GETTING TO RECOLETA
Buenos Aires is easily negotiated by any method of transport - bus, taxi, underground train - but as most tourists stay downtown around the Centro area, the smart streets of nearby Recoleta, are most simply navigated on foot. Alternatively, all organized city tours tend to terminate outside the cemetery, due to its status as the number one tourist site in the city, and also the high concentration of quality cafés and restaurants nearby.
THE CEMETERY
Since its establishment in 1822, an estimated 350,000 people have been interred at La Recoleta Cemetery. The name Recoleta derives from the meditation and "recollection" which occurred at the Franciscan monastery which stood on the site in the 1720s. The cemetery was began when the Argentine government banned burials in churches and convents, and its unusual origins means that Recoleta is quite extraordinary. Not only is it one of the finest architectural marvels in the city, it is the resting place of some of the most important figures in Argentine history.
Grand neo-classical gates guard the entrance to the cemetery, and an eerie peace welcomes you as you step through. A long paved avenue stretches out transecting the length of the cemetery, passing through a central plaza. To either side, seemingly never-ending rows of large stone mausoleums stand to well above head height. These are the family tombs of Buenos Aires' wealthy elite and favoured sons.
The central plaza is a restful place with grand old trees shading a prominent statue of Jesus. It's the perfect place to take a break from the stresses of city life on the cool stone benches, while the scrawny feral cemetery cats wind about your feet. From here numerous sun-drenched bricked streets radiate off like spokes in wheel, and in turn lead into grids of tiny alleys which are barely wide enough to squeeze between the tombs. All manner of architectural styles can be found here on the 5,000 or so tombs, from neoclassical to art nouveau and neo-gothic. The layout of the cemetery gives it the feel of a mini-city within a city.
So who is there to see? Well, unless you are an Argentine history and elite society buff, there will not be that many names to recognise. Presidents, politicians, writers, artists, sports stars, Nobel Prize winners, architects, etc. are interred here by the dozen, but very few are known to the average tourist. There are a few familiar faces, including Susan Barrantes, (mother of Fergie, Duchess of York) and the F1 Champion Juan Manuel Fangio. Otherwise the main draw for me, and the majority of visitors, was the grave of Eva Perón.
María Eva Duarte de Perón, rose from an illegitimate birth to a cook, through acting and modelling, to become one of the most powerful South American women in history. As the wife of President Juan Perón, she became the highly influential "Spiritual Leader of the Nation" in 1946, and became famous for championing the rights of the underprivileged. A vast cult grew around her, which since her passing from uterine cancer in 1952 at the age of 33, has never faded.
However, the interest around this burial site, lies not only in the living Evita, but also the controversy surrounding her burial. During a period of hysterical mass mourning across Argentina, a military coup overthrew Perón's government. Evita's body was stolen and defiled to prevent rebellion, and then secretly buried in Italy. Once this was revealed, her exiled husband had the corpse dug up and placed in his house in Spain. When, in 1974, he was reinstated as President, Evita was brought home to Argentina and eventually buried in the tomb of her father's family, the Duartes, where we find her today.
The small art deco tomb is by no means the grandest in the cemetery, being sandwiched between larger tombs in a densely-packed side alley. Subsequently, the narrow space is permanently packed with groups of tourists jammed like sardines between the towering mausoleums. However, the atmosphere is respectful, and every visitor gets the opportunity to have a good peer, pay respects or take a photo. Many people choose to bring small floral tributes to fix to the heavy, ornate bronze grill door. A plethora of remembrance plaques adorn the ornamental black marble façade. Unlike many of the other tombs, the view of the interior is completely obscured, and not wanting to lose her a second time, the government are rumoured to have made the mausoleum able to withstand a nuclear bomb attack.
So, is it worth a visit?
Recoleta must be counted as one of the 'great cemeteries of the world', and is a must-see in Buenos Aires for that reason alone. It is unique in style, but most easily comparable with Père Lachaise, the formidable cemetery in Paris. I found Recoleta lacked the magnificent ambience of Père Lachaise. Maybe this was because the names were not so well-known to me and could not compete with the likes of Oscar Wilde or Jim Morrison, or maybe because the atmosphere was far more clinical, it failed to stir my imagination as much as the arty air and rampant decay of its ramshackle, quirky Parisian cousin.
However, the architecture of Recoleta is far grander than other cemeteries I have visited, and it is far better kept. I would absolutely recommend it, even for people who have little interest in Argentine history. La Recoleta Cemetery is certainly a unique place to visit - a huge outdoor art gallery with a deeper significance.
FURTHER INFORMATION
La Recoleta Cemetary, Calle Junín 1760, is open daily, 7am-5.45pm, free admission.
I would recommend one hour minimum to have a good stroll around and to absorb the cemetery's unique character, but if short of time it is worth even a quick ten minute visit.
'Friends of the cemetery' harass visitors to buy a map for Arg$4 (£0.75) and make a donation at the gate, prompting most visitors to break into a fast trot to avoid parting with any unnecessary pesos. However, if there are particular graves you wish to see the maps are detailed and better than aimlessly pottering around the tiny aisles for hours. To find Eva Perón, either follow the tourist hoards, or ask a friendly gardener.
ALSO IN THE AREA
The cemetery may be the most visited site in Recoleta, but this charming district is not just a one horse show.
In front of the cemetery, on Junín 1904, is the 1732 church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar. This tiny whitewashed church was so unlike others I had visited in South America. Its simple airy colonial style, with pretty stain glass windows, made it serenely relaxed and the perfect place to reflect. Whilst still having the massive and stunningly ornate gold and silver baroque altarpieces so popular on the continent, it was far less ostentatious than usual, and definitely one of my favourite churches in South America. Admission is free, and the church is open 8am-9pm.
In front of the church is the vast grassy Plaza Francia, which hosts la Feria de Recoleta - a large handicraft market on Saturdays. With hippy sing-ins, street tango and buskers entertaining small crowds all around the fringes of the market, there is quite an atmosphere. Well made glass, woodwork and jewellery items can be purchased from the craftspeople reasonably cheaply, alongside incense, casual clothes and hand made toys. The market is popular with locals, and whilst not stocking a vast range of typical souvenirs, many of the items carry a lot of local flavour. I found it far cheaper and less oppressive than the street markets in La Boca, the most popular district with visitors, which are essentially mass market tourist traps.
Recoleta is also home to several art museums, including Museo de Arte Decorativo, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, and the Cultural Centre (Centro Cultural) which neighbours the cemetery on Junín 1930, and hosts musical, theatre and creative art exhibits.
RESTAURANTS
Across Plaza Francia from the church, stands a row of good continental-style restaurants, all with umbrella-ed garden seating areas bustling with birdlife.
I was particularly impressed with Buller's, a micro-brewery / pub / restaurant, which offers a large selection of unusual beers, such as honey and Oktoberfest style, and an extensive range of light meals, including spectacular salads complete with inventive homemade breads. It has a relaxed, yet still chic (this is Buenos Aires after all), atmosphere and is highly competitive in price.
The only restaurant to be avoided in the row is the renowned La Biela - hotspot of the rich and famous - which despite its prestigious historic connections and comprehensive, reasonably well-priced Parisian café style menu, has unfortunately developed a rather pompous Parisian style attitude to go with it. I have never before seen customers at such a high-falootin' establishment have to get up and ask their waiters to please come to the table. Even worse, the snooty waiter attending to us nonchalantly picked a large piece of debris out of a hot chocolate with his fingers, before casually slamming the glass down in some manner of presentation. I couldn't quite believe my eyes!
OVERALL OPINION
The district of Recoleta is one of the most elegant and charming in Buenos Aires, and is certainly worth exploring for its refined atmosphere, boutique stores and some of the finest dining in the city. Despite the never ending coaches regurgitating endless hoards of tourists, who have come to tick off Evita's tomb on their "must do in Buenos Aires list", the barrio of Recoleta still retains a gentile, relaxed air, which reminded me a little of the Left Bank in Paris. Any visitor to charming Buenos Aires will no doubt at some point find themselves in Recoleta, and I can certainly recommend it highly.
