Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires

Cementerio de la Recoleta

Table of contents:

1. History
2. Videos
3. Photos
4. Famous and notable people
5. Location and Maps of the tombs
6. Eva Peron tomb
7. 10 Most important tombs

Recoleta Cemetery (Cementerio de la Recoleta) is often listed as one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world. After spending an afternoon wandering through the cobblestone streets lined with tombs I would have to agree. Recoleta Cemetery is located in the prestigious neighborhood of Recoleta, in the city of Buenos Aires. In the early eighteenth century Monks of The Order of the Recoletos arrived in this area. The cemetery originally started as their holy grounds, however when the Order disbanded in 1822, the convent gardens were converted into Buenos Aires´s first public cemetery. Buried here is a who’s who of notable Argentinians from politicians (including 26 Argentine presidents) to Nobel Prize winners, and of course Argentina’s beloved Eva Peron.

The cemetery has over 6,400 mausoleums and is a crash course of architectural style through the ages. Beautiful examples of Neoclassical, Neo Gothic, Art Nuevo and Art Deco can all be found here. With marble statues and decorative iron gates this city of the dead is full of breathtaking art. Some of the mausoleums are relatively new, modern even, while others show their age in dust and disrepair. Peeking inside the crypts was an unusual experience. You are faced with dusty, wooden coffins, carved marble coffins, shrines to the dead, relics, photos and flowers. All are evidence and a life, clues to who is buried there and who was left behind. I felt as if I were inside history when I stepped inside Recoleta Cemetery.

Of course no cemetery would be complete without a ghost story or two and Recoleta Cemetery is no exception. There are many stories of hauntings and curious happenings here. One of tales that resonated with me the most was the tragic story of 19-year-old Rufina Cambecéres, who was a socialite and the only daughter of a famous Argentine writer, died suddenly in 1902. It was raining on the day her casket arrived at Recoleta so it was left in the Chapel overnight. Legend has it that a cemetery worker noticed the casket lid had been shifted, and since Rufina was from a wealthy family, they thought someone might be after her valuables and have robbed the grave. However, when her casket was opened and closely examined, the truth was much worse. None of her jewelry was missing but instead, they found scratch marks on her and all over the inside of the casket: she had been mistakenly presumed dead and was buried alive! Later thought that she had collapsed from an attack of cataplexy, which caused several doctors to believe that she was dead. When she woke up and found herself sealed in a casket, the fright, the terror and the failed attempt of escape eventually gave her a heart attack which became the real cause of her unfortunate death. 

To this day, no one knows for sure if that was really what truly happened but it is no doubt one of the most known urban legends of Recoleta Cemetery. The tomb of Rufina is is not easy to miss because it is one of the most beautiful ones in the “City of the Dead”. You will be greeted by a life-sized statue of her guarding her resting place. When peer in, you will see her beautifully-carved marble coffin inside.

Also Read: Famous Buenos Aires Ghost Story

The cemetery is open every day from 8 am – 6 pm, free entry. Maps are available for purchase, though not necessary, I would recommend grabbing one if you want to find someone in particular. There are also free tours available.  You will learn many stories like Rufina’s from the hour-long guided tour: Spanish tours – Tuesday to Friday at 11am; weekends and public holidays at 11am and 3pm. English tours are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11am. Whenever you go, also keep your eyes on the lookout for the cutest and fluffiest “residents” of Recoleta Cemetery — the many cemetery cats.3

Recoleta Cemetery Photos

View of the domes.

Tomb of President Bartolomé Mitre.

Tomb of President Carlos Pellegrini.

Tomb of President Domingo Faustino Sarmiento.

Monument to physician, politician, and writer Eduardo Wilde.

Tomb of First Lady Eva Perón.

Tomb of caudillo Facundo Quiroga.

Tomb of French-born Coronel Federico de Brandsen.

Tomb of medical doctor and politician of U.S. descent Guillermo Rawson.

Tomb of President José María Guido.

Tomb of political theorist and diplomat Juan Bautista Alberdi.

Tomb of General and Governor Juan Lavalle.

Tomb of President Julio Argentino Roca.

Tomb of Liliana Crociati de Szaszak.

Tomb of professional boxer Luis Ángel Firpo, the first Latin American to challenge for the world heavyweight champion title.

Tomb of Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate Luis Federico Leloir.

Tomb of General Luis María Campos, designed by French sculptor Jules Coutan.

Tomb of patriot Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson.

Tomb of General Miguel Estanislao Soler.

Tomb of President Nicolás Avellaneda, devised by the aforementioned French sculptor Jules Coutan.

Memorial to statesman, diplomat, and journalist José Clemente Paz, created by the aforesaid French sculptor Jules Coutan.

Tomb of President Raúl Alfonsín, taken after a state funeral.

Tomb of President Roque Sáenz Peña.

Tomb of Irish-born Admiral and founder of the Argentine Navy William Brown.

Boy Angel Statue La Recoleta Cemetery 9-7-2011 Buenos Aires Argentina

Notable and Famous People Buried in La Recoleta Cemetery (Wikipedia)

Birth	Death	Personality		Notes	Ref(s)
1914	1999		Adolfo Bioy Casares	Fiction writer, journalist, translator, and Miguel de Cervantes Prize recipient.	[18][19]
1876	1943		Agustín Pedro Justo	President of Argentina.	[20]
1921	2012		Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat	Businesswoman and philanthropist.	[21]
1805	1871		Anthony Dominic Fahy	Catholic priest, missionary and head of the Irish community in Argentina (1844–1871)	[18]
1914	1981		Armando Bó	Actor, film director, and screenwriter.	[18]
1900	1983		Arturo Umberto Illia	President of Argentina.	[20][22][23]
1821	1906		Bartolomé Mitre	President of Argentina.	[20][24][25]
1840	1902		Cándido López	Soldier, painter, and student of Italian artist Baldassare Verazzi.	[26]
1827	1918		Carlos Guido y Spano	Poet.	[27]
1789	1852		Carlos María de Alvear	Soldier, statesman, and Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata.	[28]
1846	1906		Carlos Pellegrini	President of Argentina.	[20][29]
1878	1959		Carlos Saavedra Lamas	Academic, politician, and the first Latin American Nobel Peace Prize recipient.	[18]
1759	1829		Cornelio Saavedra	President of the First Assembly and military officer.	[30][31]
1758	1820		Cosme Argerich	Military physician.	[32]
1800	1875		Dalmacio Vélez Sársfield	Lawyer, politician, and writer of the Civil Code of Argentina.	[31]
1811	1888		Domingo Faustino Sarmiento	President of Argentina.	[20][27][33]
1896	1956		Eduardo Lonardi	President of Argentina.	[34]
1903	1982		Eduardo Mallea	Essayist, cultural critic, writer, and diplomat.	[35]
1844	1913		Eduardo Wilde	Physician, politician, and writer.	[36]
1875	1951		Elpidio González	Politician and Vice President of Argentina.	[37]
1919	1952		Eva Perón	First Lady of Argentina and founder of the Eva Perón Foundation.	[18][33][38]
1788	1835		Facundo Quiroga	Caudillo and subject of the book Facundo, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento‘s most prominent work.	[39][40][41]
1785	1827		Federico de Brandsen	French-born Colonel.	[42]
1835	1899		Federico Lacroze	Businessman and railway entrepreneur.	[43]
1795	1871		Francisco Javier Muñiz	Argentine physician, naturalist and politician	[18]
1821	1890		Guillermo Rawson	Physician and politician of American descent.	[44]
1852	1933		Hipólito Yrigoyen	President of Argentina.	[20][22][23]
1847	1847	—	Isabelle Colonna-Walewski	Daughter of Count Alexandre Colonna-Walewski and grandchild of Napoleon.	[45][46]
1842	1912		José Clemente Paz	Statesman, diplomat, and journalist.	[17][47]
1860	1931		José Figueroa Alcorta	President of Argentina.	[20]
1834	1886		José Hernández	Journalist, politician, poet, and creator of Argentina’s national epic, the Martín Fierro.	[18][48]
1910	1975		José María Guido	President of Argentina.	[20]
1758	1833		Juan José Paso	Politician and member of the First Assembly, the First Triumvirate, and the Second Triumvirate.	[49]
1797	1841		Juan Lavalle	General and Governor of Buenos Aires Province.	[40][50]
1793	1877		Juan Manuel de Rosas	Brigadier and Governor of Buenos Aires Province. Initially buried at Southampton Old Cemetery in the United Kingdom, repatriated in 1989.	[24][33][51]
1843	1914		Julio Argentino Roca	President of Argentina.	[20][52]
1841	1896		Leandro Nicéforo Alem	Politician.	[22][23][37]
1874	1938		Leopoldo Lugones	Writer and journalist.	[19]
1831	1913		Lucio Victorio Mansilla	General, writer, journalist, politician, and diplomat.	[27]
1894	1960		Luis Ángel Firpo	Professional boxer and the first Latin American to challenge for the world heavyweight champion title.	[18][48]
1906	1987		Luis Federico Leloir	Biochemist, physician, and the first Spanish-speaking Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate.	[18][40][53]
1838	1907		Luis María Campos	General and founder of the Escuela Superior de Guerra (Superior School of War).	[47][54]
1822	1907		Luis Sáenz Peña	President of Argentina.	[20]
1791	1871		Luis Vernet	German-born merchant of Huguenot descent and the first Argentine appointed as Governor of Puerto Luis (nowadays the Falkland Islands).	[55]
1787	1828		Manuel Dorrego	Military officer and Governor of Buenos Aires Province. Mausoleum designed by Carlo Zucchi.	[40]
1835	1906		Manuel Quintana	President of Argentina.	[20]
1868	1942		Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear	President of Argentina.	[20]
1887	1970		Mariette Lydis	Austrian-born painter and illustrator.	[35]
1786	1868		Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson	Patriot.	[33][56]
1922	1991		Martín Karadagian	Actor, professional wrestler, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame inductee.	[18]
1851	1905		Miguel Cané	Writer, lawyer, academic, journalist, and politician.	[48]
1754	1833		Miguel de Azcuénaga	General, politician, and member of the First Assembly.	[57]
1783	1849		Miguel Estanislao Soler	General and politician.	[58]
1837	1885		Nicolás Avellaneda	President of Argentina.	[20][24]
1891	1967		Oliverio Girondo	Poet.	[18][19][59]
1859	1936		Pablo Ricchieri	Military officer and Minister of War.	[60]
1848	1929		Paul Groussac	French-born writer, literary critic, historian, and librarian.	[18]
1903	1970		Pedro Eugenio Aramburu	President of Argentina.	[61]
1927	2009		Raúl Alfonsín	President of Argentina.	[20][22][23]
1926	2016		María Lorenza Barreneche	First Lady of Argentina. Widow of Raúl Alfonsín.	[62][63]
1797	1823		Remedios de Escalada	Wife of libertador José de San Martín.	[33]
1851	1914		Roque Sáenz Peña	President of Argentina.	[20]
1903	1993		Silvina Ocampo	Poet, translator, and writer.	[18]
1802	1869		Valentín Alsina	Governor of Buenos Aires Province.	[31]
1785	1856		Vicente López y Planes	Poet, politician, and creator of the lyrics of the Argentine National Anthem.	[64]
1890	1979		Victoria Ocampo	Writer, intellectual, and the first woman admitted to the Argentine Academy of Letters.	[18][48]
1840	1919		Victorino de la Plaza	President of Argentina.	[20]
1777	1857		William Brown	Irish-born Admiral and founder of the Argentine Navy.	[65][66]
1856	1902		Zenón Rolón	Musician and composer.	[67]
1920	1999		Zully Moreno	Actress.	[18]

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