Last updated on December 20, 2023.

No trip to Buenos Aires is complete without visiting the Recoleta Cemetery (Cementerio de la Recoleta), one of the most famous cemeteries in the world. The cemetery opened in 1822 and has some of the most beautiful tombs on the planet.

 

Entrance and Tours

The entrance to the cemetery is through a gate with Doric columns. Admission is free and guides wait just inside the entrance offering free tours. I didn’t do the tour but my friends did and they said it was very informative.

Entrance to Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Entrance to the Recoleta Cemetery

 

City of the Dead

I decided to wander around the cemetery on my own. I noticed that while it lacks the prominent burials on an international level, trees, and open space like Père Lachaise in Paris, the tombs are just as magnificent. Its grid system creates an incredible “city of the dead”.

Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Recoleta Cemetery

The 14 acre cemetery contains almost 4,700 vaults all above ground. Each vault has its own unique architectural design and a range of styles can be found. Many of the vaults are well-maintained but others have sadly fallen into disrepair.

Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Recoleta Cemetery
Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
A tomb in the Recoleta Cemetery
Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Recoleta Cemetery
Tombs in disrepair at Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tombs in disrepair

 

Eva Perón

There are several writers, presidents of Argentina, military figures, and other high society Argentinians buried here, but by far the most famous person interred in La Recoleta is Eva Perón (1919-1952). Tourists and Argentinians alike flock to her relatively simple family tomb. The tomb is adorned with plaques dedicated by different organizations.

Tomb of Eva Perón at Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tomb of Eva Perón
Tomb of Eva Perón at Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Plaque on the tomb of Eva Perón
Tomb of Eva Perón at Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Plaque on the tomb of Eva Perón

 

Presidents of Argentina

Among the presidents buried in the cemetery include Bartolomé Mitre (b. 1821 d. 1906, served 1862-1868), Julio Argentino Roca (b. 1843 d. 1914, served 1880-1886, 1898-1904), Domino Faustino Sarmiento (b. 1811 d. 1888, served 1868-1874), and Carlos Pellegrini (b. 1846 d. 1906, served 1890-1892).

Tomb of Bartolomé Mitre at Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tomb of Bartolomé Mitre
Tomb of Julio Argentino Roca at Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tomb of Julio Argentino Roca
Tomb of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento at Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento’s tomb
Tomb of Carlos Pellegrini at Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tomb of Carlos Pellegrini

 

Tombs

The rest of the cemetery is worth wandering through. I spent a good two hours strolling up and down the lanes looking at the graves of the Argentinian elite before heading out to explore the rest of the Recoleta area.

Tomb of General Juan Lavalle (1797-1841) at Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tomb of General Juan Lavalle (1797-1841)
Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Paths through the cemetery
Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
A row of tombs
Cementerio de la Recoleta in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Recoleta Cemetery

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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