Photo Essay: Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina
La Recoleta Cemetery is a famous cemetery located in the elite and posh Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The cemetery is well known for its extravagant tombs and ornate mausoleums.
That, and the fact that it is centrally located on some of the most expensive real estate in Argentina and is the eternal resting place to some of the most important Argentines; including Eva Perón, Raúl Alfonsín, and several presidents.
Strolling through the maze of thin alleys, one can’t help be feel slightly insignificant. The graves are quite remarkable
As you walk past the tombs, many have been neglected and have broken glass at the entrances. In the above photo, you can see the coffin resting in plain sight, something that took us a while to get used to.
Long, thin alleys of elegant mausoleums for Argentina’s rich and famous
This large tomb (above) had over a dozen family members resting together
The cemetery is also home to many cats that “watch over” the tombs.
They are quite friendly, but kind of spooky and creepy if you believe in reincarnation and spirits.
The inside of another exposed tomb
It’s difficult not to be impressed by the remarkable statues and detailed grave stones
Nicole sitting in front of a giant tomb gives you a sense of scale.
Now that is an impressive tombstone!
We never thought we would find ourselves promoting a cemetery as a must visit tourist attraction, but the Recoleta Cemetery is a truly amazing place. Though it gave us the chills at times, its opulence and grandeur is unlike anything we’ve experienced.
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The Traveling Canucks are Nicole and Cameron Wears, a Canadian married couple that live in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. A passion for travel and outdoor adventure has lead them to over 50 countries on 6 continents in the past 7 years. Consider following us via 
I am a big fan of Recoleta! It was much cloudier the day I went though. My favorite tomb is the one with a statue of a young woman almost falling off the top, reaching for her rose she dropped. It was beautiful art and the symbolism was so moving. I did love the friendly gatitos who came over for a petting.
We really enjoyed it as well. There are so many beautiful tombs and statues… I had to narrow down about 50 photos!
Nice photos, I’m really looking forward to seeing this.
Thanks! It will blow your mind!
What gorgeous, wonderful photos.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who loves wandering through cemeteries. I lived in Portugal for a few months and loved meandering through the gorgeous cemeteries there. 
Thanks Krista!
I think Andrew Lloyd Webber got his inspiration for CATS while walking the Recoleta Cemetery.
Gorgeous pictures! I can’t believe how many tombs there are and how close they are together–it looks almost like a little city! It reminds me a bit of Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. I got completely lost in there but thought it was so beautiful.
Thanks Emily – it was exaclty like exploring a little city! Some of the tombs are bigger than a full sized house – seriously.
I walked around the Recoleta cemetary a few times and enjoyed the interesting structures and ornate decorations. I couldn’t help thinking that if I was the only person there on a dark night…it would be soo freaky!
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I hadn’t thought of that. It would be totally freaky at night! You’d probably get lost too
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Awesome pictures! I absolutely love the rooftop view, simply stunning and it does a great job of showing the size of this place.
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Thanks Adam! We actually had a friend staying in the hotel, so we snuck up to the rooftop patio and caught these killer views!
Traveling Canucks recently posted..Photo of the Week- Reflections in Istanbul- Turkey
Awesome pics of 1 of my fave places in BsAs. Been there like 5X haha.
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Thx Andi! It’s a pretty unique place
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I would love to visit this cemetery — fascinating place. Your photos are wonderful in giving a real sense of what it’s like.
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