Daily Archives: January 8, 2011

Of the photos I took of tombs in Cementerio de la Recoleta, Buenos Aires, there remain but three. The first is a popular subject for photographers and provides an interesting story for visitors. Liliana Crociati de Szaszak (1944-1970) was in Innsbruck, Austria on her honeymoon when she was killed by an avalanche that struck the hotel in which she was staying. The grief of her father was enormous and he had a glass tomb constructed in front of which he placed a sculpture of Liliana in her wedding dress. Later, when Liliana’s dog Sabíº died, a sculpture of the dog was placed on the tomb as well. The second tomb belongs to Juan Facundo Quiroga (1788-1835). Facundo’s tomb is crowned by a sculpture of La Dolorosa by Tantardini which, incidentally, is actually a likeness of Facundo’s wife. Facundo was an Argentine caudillo, a term that connotes the fact that he was more warlord than military leader. Facundo died at the hands of assassins and, interestingly enough, is buried standing upright. The third tomb is that of Bernardo de Irigoyen (1822-1906) and his father Fermen Yrigoyen (1795-1853). Bernardo de Irigoyen served many influential roles in Argentina’s political system including senator, governor of Buenos Aires, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Internal Affairs. He was instrumental in negotiating the borders of Argentina with its neighbors. Of all the tombs in Recoleta, Irigoyen’s is the only one I actually peered into, snapping a photo of the interior as I did so. Continue reading →