La Chacarita — the city of the dead (don’t look at the impressionable)
La Chacarita is the largest cemetery in Argentina and one of the largest in the world, covering an area of 95 hectares. On the map of Buenos Aires it stands out as a green spot, covering half of the district of the same name. On the territory of the cemetery there are streets, alleys and parks. There is a historical part with beautiful crypts and pantheons, and a modernist part — built in the middle of the last century, which sends a chill down your spine. At the beginning of the last century, there could be traffic jams here and there was a special mourning fashion.
In general, first things first.
History and personalities
The cemetery owes its appearance to the yellow fever epidemic of 1871, when the Recoleta cemetery alone was not enough. The virus was brought in by Argentine soldiers who were then fighting with Paraguay. As a result of this terrible epidemic, every 10th resident of Buenos Aires died.
At first, commoners were buried in the new cemetery, and over time, representatives of the aristocracy and iconic figures of Argentine history found their eternal rest there. Carlos Gardel, Astor Piazzolla — musician and composer of the 2nd half of the 20th century, poetess Alfonsina Storni, Jorge Newbery — pioneer of Argentine aviation, scientist and inventor (the international airport in Buenos Aires is named after him), Maria Salome — healer and local saint. President Juan Peron was originally buried here until his remains were moved to a mausoleum at his former home in Sao Vicente in 2006.
Here are the pantheons of actors and musicians, the military and police pantheons, as well as the Greek and Jewish cemeteries.
Remembrance Day and Funeral Traditions
November 2 is All Souls’ Day in Argentina. A hundred years ago on this day, residents of the capital flocked to the cemetery to honor the memory of their ancestors. There were long lines of people and traffic jams of carts on the streets of Chacarita. On this day, mourners cleaned the crypts, prayed and left flowers. Even fugitive criminals came to visit the graves of their relatives. Once the police even organized an operation to capture several fugitives.
In the 20s of the last century, there was a whole industry in the country associated with funeral customs. Special stores sold mourning dresses and suits, usually imported from Europe.
Women’s mourning could last more than two years. Male, a couple of months old.
By looking at a woman’s toilet, one could determine at what stage of mourning she was. If, in addition to the dress, she was wearing black gloves and shoes, this meant strict mourning. In the middle stage of mourning, one could open one’s arms and use white or purple accessories.
For men, mourning etiquette was much less demanding. In the first months of death, they wore a black ribbon.
Modernist project
Personally, I was impressed not even by the ancient crypts and pantheons, which in the photo can be confused with urban architecture, but by the modernist project implemented in the 1950s with the assistance of a French bureau. (Hello, Le Corbusier!)
In those years, the city’s population tripled, and the architects had to approach the matter innovatively. It turned out to be even too much. Impersonal, as if from a disaster movie, the burial cells are inscribed in a geometrically strict environment, which the garden is intended to revive. The “galleries” are located in the open air, but are recessed underground.
The feeling is very strange. At first you are overcome by a feeling of unreality and some kind of incomprehensible euphoria, then you are surprised at the effectiveness of the approach, then it becomes a little creepy. Argentines, however, are used to it. Visitors use a ladder to insert the bouquet into a special ring and chat with each other for a long time.
#chacarita #argentina #buenos aires
