Cementerio de la Recoleta

ISSUE 2
ERRANTES MAGAZINE
Director:
FABIAN PULIDO
Photography:
www.fabianpulido.com

La Recoleta Cemetery is a cemetery located in the
Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
It contains the graves of notable people, including
Eva Perón, presidents of Argentina, Nobel Prize
winners, the founder of the Argentine Navy and a
granddaughter of Napoleon. In 2011, the BBC hailed
it as one of the world’s best cemeteries, and in 2013,
CNN listed it among the 10 most beautiful cemeteries
in the world.

From the end of the nineteenth-century to the
start of the 1920s, the Recoleta neighborhood
has witnessed the construction of a great
number of “châteaux” (often imitating those
of the Loire valley in France), as well as Parisian
style petits hôtels, almost always designed by
architects of French origin. The major portion
of the building materials (boiseries, slate roof
tiles, marble for staircases, bronze and iron
work, chandeliers with lead crystal prisms, glass
lamp shades, ornate gilded mirrors, and beveled
lead crystal window panes, mosaics, etc.) were
brought from Europe. But just as it occurred in
other neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, these
grand buildings, in large part, have been
demolished since the 1960s due to the realities
of the real estate market: on the land that held an
extraordinary private mansion, several ordinary
modern buildings could be erected. Currently
several neighborhood groups which organize
marches, meetings, and other events are working
to halt further destruction of existing landmarks. In
spite of the demolitions, Recoleta still displays a rich
architectural legacy. Outstanding examples are on
Alvear Avenue, where such buildings as the Palacio
Duhau (former property of the Duhau family), the
Nunciature of the Vatican (the Fernández Anchorena
Palace), the French Embassy (former Ortiz Basualdo
Palace), the Brazilian Embassy (former Pereda Palace),
the Jockey Club, and the luxurious Alvear Palace
Hotel. All over Recoleta, petits hôtels which contrast
with larger and more modern apartment buildings,
still grace the neighborhood.

There are approximately 80 cats at the Recoleta
cemetery. The cats are part tour guides and part
watchful guardians to the 4800 tombs of famous
Argentines that lay on 5.4 acres of cemetery grounds.
Cats have been part of Recoleta history for at least the
past 20 years. They’ve been cared for spay/neutered,
fed twice daily and a few have even pawed their
way into a new home by winning over the hearts of
visitors.
A colony of cats is a group of cats that band together
and share (live) in an area together. There are various
colonies through out the cemetery - some of the cats
are extremely friendly while others are timid and
cautious. Sadly, many of these cats were dumped or
abandoned on the cemetery grounds. Lost and stray
cats have found their way to this safe haven too.
The expense of feeding the cats about 8lbs of kibble
a day, including supplements has taken it’s toll on
the colony caretaker who has absorbed the entire
cost for the past 20 years.

www.fabianpulido.com