Probably everybody who has ever heard of tango knows that Carlos Gardel’s final resting place is at the cemetery of Chacarita. And it is a grand one, with his huge statue, and always having a cigarette in his hand. Yes, his admirers take care that he is never left without a cigarette… At his birthday or at the anniversary of the day when he died in a plane accident in Medellin – Colombia, numbers of his admirers gather together singing his tangos.
But many other important names from tango history can also be seen here. And it is a hard job to find where: imagine that the whole Chacarita has about 95 hectares (yes, indeed!!!) and that there are no maps available. Which is kind of normal as it is a cemetery and not a tourist spot… OK, let’s forget the cemetery of Recoleta and its own maps and tourist guides…
The list of important tango people reads as being in a tango music store: Carlos Di Sarli, Osvaldo Pugliese, Anibal Troilo, Juan D’Arienzo, Francisco Canaro, Julio De Caro, Roberto Goyeneche, Agustin Magaldi, Homero Manzi and many others. Yes, Chacarita is definitely a part of tango history!
The most important people from the Argentinian history (apart from tango, there are also some sportsmen, poets and writers) can all be found together in “Rincon de los famosos” – the corner of the famous. I have been to Chacarita many times and until now I have never seen this spot, probably due to the fact that it is really huge and without a map it’s almost impossible to find anything.
This time I managed to get to it, with the help of some kind local people who happened to be around. For me it was really magical as some the monuments leave you breathless, especially if you are a huge admirer of these people. When you stand there and look at the Osvaldo Pugliese’s monument, with him playing his piano, all of the wonderful Pugliese’s music flows through your head – La Tupungatina, La Yumba, Adios corazon, Farol, Fuimos… to name just some of them.
I still have something to do the next time I come here, because I still didn’t manage to find Francisco Canaro and Juan D’Arienzo. So, until next time – here is the collection of some of the most interesting pictures.
Tango DJ Alenka