Recoleta, Buenos Aires

If you like sculptures dont miss these fine examples of art!
Three bronze masterpieces of the French sculptor Antoine Bourdelle ("Hercules Archer", "General Alvear Monument", and the "Dying Centaur"), and a Carrara marble masterpiece of the Argentine artist Lucio Correa Morales "La Cautiva" are exhibited in the parks around The National Museum of Fine Arts (MNBA).
The General Alvear monument -known as the best monument in Buenos Aires, -not for me though :) i like better San Martin's monument)-, is very easy to spot right at the joint of Av. Libertador and Av. Figueroa Alcorta. But the three other ones (and specially "La Cautiva") are a bit hidden, at least for the typical tourist paths. Check the map for the exact location, and the following tips for more information.

I highly recommend visiting this cemetery while in Recoleta (Plaza Francia area). There are no graves here but mausoleums made of granite or marble. The architecture is really superb and the cemetery is quite well-kept. Whole families rest here. You can get a glimpse of the coffins through the glass windows, some of them are really dusty as not all the relatives of those buried there take care of them.
There are guided tours, one of them is about love stories concerning some of the people resting in the cemetery.
Evita (Eva Perón) is buried here, and so are many Argentine historic figures like Domingo F. Sarmiento, who opened the first school in the country.

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The Recoleta Cemetery was an interesting walk and ok place to spend a few hours. Eva Peron is buried here, if that takes your fance, but personally I found the interesting crypts and wandering cats more of interest. There are also plenty of souvenir stalls at the entrance/exit

Most of them have been there for more than a century! The branches are so long and heavy that you'll see some woodden sticks that have been placed under it to hold them up.
There are many benches under them where couples hang out.

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As a very special sight of B. Aires is the famous Recoleta cemetery with its thousands of mausoleums and tombs should be visited. It is said, that it compares only with Pere Lachaise cemetery of Paris !
The Cemetery includes graves of some of the most influential and important persons of Argentina, including several presidents, scientists, artists, musicians and poets.

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Evita's final burial place is in her families crypt in the cemetary of Recoleta. "Final" because her remains had quite a trip getting there. Her body was stolen by anti-Perónistas in 1955 and hidden in Italy until she was discovered in 1974. Then they buried her back in the Presidential crypt, and finally transferred her remains to the Duarte's family tomb two years later.

The area of the cemetery covers 50,000m2 in whcih you could easily get lost so the authorities do provide a map when you enter the entrance of the cemetary. This shows the main areas of interest. Evita's remains can be found at plot number 57 which, for your information, is roughly middle left of the cemetery map shown in picture 2.

Apart from the interest in Evita, the cemetery as a whole is of interest. From extremely old and ornate statues to modern lighted windows, there is a dearth of interesting things to check out. If we were not on a guided tour (and it wasn't pouring down with rain), then I would have loved to see more than I actually did.

This is one of my favourite activities. I usually do this in the afternoon, after lunch. But you can have lunch in the many restaurants in front of the cemetery and then walk around.
What is there to see? The cemetery (home to Evita and other famous figures), the church (too golden inside to my taste, but you may like it), Centro Cultural Recoleta (next to the church) with lots of temporary exhibitions by local and international artists (painting, photography, sculpture, etc), the markets (lots of stalls selling handcraft) and the buskers that give their shows in the grass area, where people usually sit to see them.
The Fine Arts Museum is just across the street too.
Then, when night falls, you may want to go for a movie at Village Recoleta theatres, next to Mc Donald's. There's also a bookshop with a coffee shop inside at the entrance of this cinema complex, called Cúspide, which is worth taking a look at. Most of the books are in Spanish, I'm afraid.
If you're interested in furniture and objects for the house, you may like to visit Buenos Aires Design, which is in the same area, to see some local design.

The grave site may be difficult to locate, but seeking the burial spot of Eva Perron (the famous "Evita" of stage and song) gives you a goal to achieve when visiting Buenos Aires' Recoleta Cemetary. As you get lost on your way there, you'll meander by hundreds of intersting mausoleums that will be way more notable than the Eva Peron's, the wife of former dicator Juan.
Still, Evita's grave will be surrounded by people. And, it isn't that impressive. In fact, it's not even under the Perron name. Why is that? Well, here's the story...
Eva Peron logged more frequent flier miles after her death than most people accumulate while their alive. That’s because, soon after she died of cancer in 1952, her husband Juan delayed interring her until after he could have her body embalmed for a leninistic display that he thought an iconic dead dicator’s wife deserved. However, this took too long and he didn’t get her on display before he was overthrown in 1955. The new government, fearing that her remains would be a potent symbol for those leading counter-coup forces, packed her up and sent her to Italy, where she was buried under a false name in 1957. Meanwhile, Juan was in exile in Spain, agitating to return to power, so in 1971 the Argentine government had Evita shipped to him in an attempt to appease him. But the bones didn’t diminish Juan’s ambition, as he returned to power via election in 1973. Immediately, Juan ordered Evita shipped home, but he died in 1974 before being able to do much. So it was new president Isabel Peron that had Evita flown to Buenos Aires in 1974 for a state burial, only to have that interrupted by a coupin 1976. At that point, the generals sent each Peron body to their respective families, which is why Evita lies in the Duarte tomb and Juan is somewhere decomposing in the suburbs. It is now possible that Evita will be moved again, as Argentines are agitating to reunite the Perons at last.
Evita Peron's bones deserve their own VT page!