Mini villas of the dead line the streets of Cemetario de Recoleta. Situated in the toniest neighborhood of Buenos Aires, this historic burial ground of the rich and famous (mostly rich) contains just about every architectural style imaginable. At 13 acres, the richness of exquisite detail is overwhelming and mesmerizing. The cemetery’s mythology and iconography is fascinating and has been documented extensively. Most intriguing to me, however, were the interiors and the tales of changing fortunes they told. The prosperous, the neglected, the ruined—from fresh flowers to foreclosure, it’s all there.
Peering through locked gates and glass on a sunny day was dizzying—stone, metal, lace, dust, cobwebs, stained glass—a cacophony of shadows and reflections.
