Recoleta Cemetry

The Cementerio de la Recoleta in the upscale Recoleta district of Buenos Aires is one of the most famous cemeteries in the world. Consecrated in 1822 as the citys first public cemetery, it quickly became the resting place of the Argentine elite: presidents, Nobel laureates, military leaders, actors and writers, including Adolfo Bioy Casares and Faustino Sarmiento. The best-known tomb belongs to Eva Peron - Evita - whose embalmed body, after a years-long odyssey, was finally buried in 1976 in the Duarte family vault, armoured several metres deep to prevent theft. The compact site contains over 4,600 tombs, many in Beaux-Arts, Neo-Gothic, Art Nouveau or Art Deco styles, with marble angels, pyramids and portrait busts. Walking the narrow lanes between the mausoleums feels like entering a miniature city of stone.