When most tourists think of cemeteries in Buenos Aires, the only one that comes to mind is Recoleta Cemetery, home to Eva Peron's remains. But, those cemetery enthusiasts willing to venture outside of the traditional touristy barrios of Buenos Aires have a treat in store for them if they end up in Chacarita, a working-class neighborhood of the city.Today, my friends Tom and Scott (visiting from the US) and I made the trek to Chacarita to explore this vast cemetery, home to 100,000 graves, 12,000 vaults and countless mausoleums. It is almost a city in and of itself, covering 95 blocks with actual street names for each street.
The cemetery's famous inhabitants include Carlos Gardel, Jorge Newbery and Juan Peron. Unfortunately, Peron's crypt was broken into a few decades ago and, according to local legend, the thieves stole his hands because his fingerprints supposedly led to vast riches in Swiss bank accounts.
It's quite an easy trip to Chacarita cemetery; just a block from the Federico Lacroze subway station (Line B). If you go, plan on spending hours exploring all of the nooks and crannies of this fascinating final resting place of many of Buenos Aires' elite.
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