"LIFE AND DEATH CONTINUED – ..." a Buenos Aires Travel Page by mtncorg

There is a scene from the 1988 movie, ‘Apartment Zero’ where the main character, a sexually confused Argentine, who would be British, entombs his mother within the crypts. This gives a good feel for how the dead are laid to rest here, not within the ground, but on shelves within the marbled tombs. The curious can peer through the doorways at the caskets within. Tombs are many times family affairs with several generations buried together.

On the west edge of the grounds, you can find this tall monument devoted to a failed rebellion of 1890, against the corruption, which reached a temporary peak under the administration of Miguel Celman – residing nearby. It is really a shrine to the Radical Party, the first truly popularly-based political party to arise within Argentina. The party is still important within politics as the large minority power to the Justicia Party, which has maintained power throughout most of the post-military era.

Hipolito Yrigoyen is one of Argentina’s true political giants. He was the first popularly elected president in 1916 – universal male suffrage coming about during the previous administration of Roque Saenz Pena (resting next to Avellaneda); females had to wait for their chance to vote until the late 1940’s, coming through the efforts of Evita. Yrigoyen was one of the first politicians who tried listening to the working people of Argentina. He didn’t always like what he heard though and he had the misfortune of becoming the first – but sadly, far from the last – president to be deposed by the military. His deposer, General Felix Uriburu, in true La Recoleta fashion, can also be found nearby.

Beneath Yrigoyen, another Radical President from more recent time lies – Arturo Umberto Illia. The military ruled the country directly following the 1955 coup which deposed Peron. In an experiment with democracy, Illia was elected in 1963 – Peron’s Justicia Party was not allowed to take part – and he ruled until the military decided democracy was not in the interest of the nation, in 1966. One of his deposers, General Pascual Angel Pistarini rests elsewhere, here.

The last casket belongs to Leandro Alem, who was the founder of the Radical Party. He committed suicide in 1896. Not the only suicide victim to be found here, the Catholic Church revoked its blessing on the cemetery in 1863 after Mitre ordered the burial of the first suicide to be entombed within the grounds.

The five year War of the Triple Alliance, 1865-1870, sprang up from intrigues within Uruguay. Paraguayan dictator, Solano Lopez attacked, first, Brazil, and then Argentina – Uruguay was added to his list of enemies after it was turned into basically a puppet state of its two larger neighbors. The war was supposed to have been short but Lopez would not give up until he was killed in 1870. By war’s end, the population of Paraguay dropped from 525000 to 221000 – only 28000 of whom were male!! This tomb commemorates the 18000 Argentines lost in the war.

Born in Ireland, Guillermo Brown created the Argentine navy – the fleet shipyards being established in La Boca. The navy defeated not only the Spanish in the Wars of the Independence, but also a Brazilian fleet, shortly thereafter. His remains lie in a bronze urn that was made from melted down ship cannons.

Not only do military and political figures lie here in La Recoleta. Here in the family tomb, lies Luis Leloir, winner of the 1970 Nobel Prize for chemistry – involving work with the discovery of sugar nucleotides and their role in carbohydrate biosynthesis. Carlos Saavedra Lamos is another Nobel Prize winner found here – his prize was for Peace in 1936, for work in international legislation and mediation. He also served as Argentine foreign minister.

Luis Angel Fripo rests near the 1890 Heroes monument. He was a famous Argentine boxer who lost a championship bout with Jack Dempsey in 1923. The newly built Palacio Barolo was set up with colored spotlights to announce fight results – red or blue.

Martin Karadagian, a professional wrestler well-known for his work in both television and movies, can also be found here.

Which brings us back to Evita. Argentine history exudes throughout the cemetery, but this is still where the tourists aim for. “Oh what a circus! Oh what a show!”