Cemeterio de la Recoleta

I went to the one place that truly got my attention- the La Recoleta Cemetery. Although I held a list of who's who at rest in the mausoleums and actually went down the list to read the names on the plaques, it wasn't so much of that. I went there for the beautiful statues, the general serenity of the place and feel the history oozing out of the stones and admire the architecture of the mausoleums.

It wasn't too crowded at Eva Perón's family vault of Duarte. Considering the turbulent family history, it's interesting that this is her final resting place. Many great generals, past presidents, noble writers, eminent families rest in this cemetery. I loved wandering down the narrow lanes to read the words, poems and all, some in English, but mostly in Spanish.

Through the glass, broken bits and grilles, I saw big coffins, small coffins decorated in all sorts of artwork.The sculptures on the mausoleums are absolute works of art. The artisans and sculptors were clearly talented and added such a delicate touch to the eyes, the way the hands are draped and made the stone come to life.

I had a precious afternoon free and I made sure I spent most of it peering through the mausoleums. The girlfriend had talked about the cats here when she visited earlier in the year. I didn't have to look hard for them. They were snoozing near the entrance of the cemetery. I went up to them and they didn't even stir. How fun. They were the first cats I saw in the city! Outside of the cemetery, dogs rule.