Tender to install a gift shop at a Recoleta Cemetery vault sparks rejection

City lawmakers and organizations in Buenos Aires are protesting the government's proposal to install a gift shop with food and beverage sales inside a vault at the historic Recoleta Cemetery. The Recoleta Cemetery, the first public cemetery in Buenos Aires, contains over 90 vaults and mausoleums that are national historic monuments due to their architectural and artistic value.

The cemetery, a protected area, is the resting place of prominent Argentine figures, including former First Lady Eva Perón. The cemetery also recently announced it would offer night visits for authorized guided tours, expanding to seven to eleven p.m.

The city government has launched a public tender for a commercial permit to operate a gift shop for five years in the abandoned vault. The shop will sell items related to the cemetery's cultural identity and heritage, but it will also be allowed to sell food, beverages, and tourism-related products. The tender, announced on Monday, will be completed online on September 9, with the winning firm receiving an initial rent of AR$1.6 million (US$1056).

The shop will operate under a takeaway model, with customers picking up their purchases or having simple preparations prepared outside the shop. Tables and chairs will not be allowed inside the cemetery.

While the government claims the vault is empty, journalist Gabriel Levinas reported that caskets from the Girado family were still present until recently. The Buenos Aires City Law 4977 prohibits commercial activities within cemeteries, and the opposition Unión Cívica Radical party filed a proposal for the city legislature to express their concern about the government's plan to generate revenue for cemetery maintenance by turning a vault into a commercial space.

The Recoleta Cemetery's Association of Friends, ADACRE, supports the idea of a cultural outreach center in the abandoned vault but does not consider food and beverage sales appropriate.