Recoleta Cemetery

Recoleta Cemetery is one of the most unusual sights in Buenos Aires: a small city of the dead laid out in streets and avenues, lined with grand family vaults rather than graves. It was inaugurated on 17 November 1822 as the Cementerio del Norte (Northern Cemetery), on a layout drawn by the French engineer Próspero Catelin. The Italian architect Juan Antonio Buschiazzo remodelled it in 1881, and the neoclassical gates with their Doric columns date from that period.

The cemetery covers about 5.5 hectares and holds 4,691 vaults, all above ground. Walking its alleys is like moving through a catalogue of architectural styles, from Art Deco and Art Nouveau to Baroque and Neo-Gothic. Many of the vaults have been declared National Historic Monuments.

Most visitors come first for Eva Perón, whose family tomb is the most visited in the cemetery. The list of other notable burials reads like a history of Argentina: presidents Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Bartolomé Mitre, Julio Argentino Roca and Raúl Alfonsín; the Nobel laureates Luis Federico Leloir and Carlos Saavedra Lamas; Admiral William Brown, founder of the Argentine Navy; the poet José Hernández; and the writers Victoria and Silvina Ocampo. Look out too for the tomb of Rufina Cambaceres, linked to a famous story of premature burial, and for the statue of Liliana Crociati standing with her dog.

The cemetery suits anyone interested in history, architecture or photography. Because so many of the tombs are listed monuments, it rewards slow exploration rather than a quick glance: allow at least an hour, and longer if you want to find specific tombs, since the alleys are easy to get lost in. A map or a guided walk helps a great deal. Remember that this is still a working cemetery, so behave quietly near funerals and families.

The cemetery's entrance is at Junín 1760, in the heart of Recoleta, one of the city's most elegant districts. It combines naturally with the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, also in Recoleta, on Avenida del Libertador, and with the cafés and terraces of the surrounding streets, including La Biela. Plan a half day for the area as a whole.