A Most Unusual Tour by Frank
Weaver
Approaching the entrance to
Cementerio de la Recoleta; also known as the La Recoleta I could see its
neo-classical design, tall Greek columns, high arch way and the white marble
walls. Standing outside I had trepidations about what I was going to see
after entering through its iron gate. Touring a cemetery always seemed
morbid to me. I kept thinking one could not leave Argentina without visiting
the grave of Evita (Eva Peron) the second wife of President Juan Peron
and First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. It was here,
one of the most famous ladies of Argentine history was laid to rest.
Once inside the cemetery
I began losing my trepidations. Stopping at each tomb I found myself reading
the plaques and stone inscriptions. Each mausoleum was so very different
from the previous one, the only thing they seem to have in common was the
aristocratic nature of its occupant. |
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After a while I began to
see the history of Argentina unfold before me, and the people that made
the country what it is today. There were military leaders, political leaders
and religious leaders alongside poets and writers; you could say the who's
who of the Argentine elite.
Following a group of visitors
down the narrow walk way between the tombs, I began to see the mausoleum
of Evita. It was a simple black marble tomb and at the top was the name
"Familia Durante" carved into the stone, her family's name. While the mausoleum
may not have been very ornate there were many bronze plaques with quotes
from Eva Peron's most famous speeches, on the steps and doors were fresh
flowers left by today's visitors. It was very gratifying to see this famous
lady who did so much for women's rights, had not been forgotten and left
to the pages of the history books.
Walking back to the entrance
of La Recoleta to continue my tour of Buenos Aires, I could not keep from
thinking how silly my trepidations were and how much I learned about the
previous leaders of Argentina.
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For more information on Argentina
see All World Vacation Station at http://www.allworld-vacation.com/argentina.htm
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