In the language class we have learnt how to write a description of a place and we have been writing several of them. We wrote the last description in pairs, and I worked with Trinidad Ines Porretti. We had to choose a picture of a touristic place of our city/neighbourhood and describe it. Then our literature teacher asked us to write a poem about the place we had picked for our description, which in our case was the Recoleta Cemetery. I wrote the poem with Trinidad Porretti and Juana Zufriategui. Here I leave the description and the poem:
Located in the prestigious neighborhood of Recoleta, Buenos Aires lies the widely known Recoleta Cemetery. This cemetery is often characterized as one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world.
This eerie charming cemetery contains 4691 vaults, all above ground, of which 94 have been declared National Historical Monuments by the Argentinian government. The entrance to the cemetery is through neoclassical gates with huge columns. The cemetery contains many elaborate marble mausoleums, decorated with statues, in a wide variety of architectural styles such as Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Baroque, and Neo-Gothic. The entire cemetery is laid out in sections like city blocks, with wide tree-lined main walkways branching into sidewalks filled with mausoleums.
Nowadays, these mausoleums are still being used by rich families in Argentina that have their own vaults and keep their deceased there. While many of the mausoleums are in fine shape and well-maintained, others have fallen into disrepair. Several can be found with broken glass and littered with rubbish. This contributes to the gloomy and phantasmagorical aura of this site. It’s antique architecture is beautiful, which is one of the reasons why the cemetery attracts so many visitors. Moreover, there is more to this place than it’s architecture. Beyond it’s walls there’s a big historical background with a huge significance.
To conclude, the Recoleta Cemetery is one of the most important attractions offered in the city of Buenos Aires. Not only is it’s architecture fascinating, but also it’s history is tremendously appealing. If you visit Buenos Aires, you must visit the cemetery. I can assure you won’t regret it.
Poem:
