With only a few days left before Halloween, perhaps it’s appropriate to take a walk though the famous cemetery, La Recoleta in Buenos Aires. La Recoleta is a fashionable neighborhood with tree lined streets, boutiques, restaurants and French style buildings. It is also the place of burial of the rich and famous.
The most visited of the tombs in La Recoleta is that of Eva Peron.
But she did not always rest here. Her history after her death is a strange one. When she died, her husband, Juan Peron was president of Argentina. He planned to bury her under a grand statue which was to honor the poor. Before it could be constructed , poor Juan was overthrown in a coup d’ etat and fled into exile.
The anti-Peron military wanted no part of the Peron name in Argentina, so after moving her remains around from place to place for a couple of years, they sent her remains into hiding, under an assumed name, in Milan. Later, she was moved to Madrid to be near her widower.
Another change in government brought Peron out of exile returning him to Argentina and the Presidency. One would think that he would continue with the monument, but it was not to be. Poor Evita was left in Madrid.
After his death, Peron’s third wife sent for Evita’s remains and had her buried along side her husband in the Presidential palace.
They rested together only two years when another coup occurred . Juan’s remains were moved to his family crypt, which was later broken into and his hands cut off.
Evita was moved to her family crypt in La Recoleta Cemetery over 20 years after her death in 1952. This did not set well with the upper crust as they objected to her being a illegitimate child. She was securely buried 27 feet deep under concrete and steel to prevent vandals from breaking in. She rests in the most expensive real estate in Buenos Aires.
(Note the cobwebs on the upper nameplate.)
The cemetery is vast, with row after row of tombs and is home to hundreds of stray cats.
Hope your will join us for Potpourri Friday!
Until next time, Honey
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