This is the final post about my trip to Patagonia. Our final stop was in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. There wasn't much of geological interest that I saw there, but you might like to check out these images of the Recoleta Cemetery, a famous cemetery there. It's full of charming masoleums which are unique in design, and in various states of repair. (Eva Peron is buried here, which is what draws in most visitors.) Here's a view down one of the labyrinthine alleyways:


This masoleum looks like a miniature cathedral:


Several had art noveau details:




This one had an awesome stained glass onion dome bulging out the top:


Two-faced angel statue:


This caught my eye:


The grave belongs to an Argentinian surgeon, Francisco Muniz, who was also into paleontology:


Muniz apparently discovered the first glyptodont (though was not the first to publish it), and corresponded with Charles Darwin. There's a neat little review of his life here, at a website documenting the people interred at Recoleta Cemetery (a great resource if you ever visit it yourself).

Rising from a prominent intersection of pathways in the cemetary was this prominent Araucaria, which I think is a monkeypuzzle tree:


Monkeypuzzles are native to Patagonia, though other members of the genus may be found in New Caledonia, New Guinea, Norfolk Island, and Australia. I love monkeypuzzles: mainly for their awesome name, but also because they look like my idea of what prehistoric plants should look like. Here's one in El Calafate that someone decorated for Christmas:


Closer in, to see some details of its scaly leaves:


Perhaps this is a good image to close out the Patagonia series with, considering it blends the exotic monkeypuzzle with lovely old traditional holiday spirit (at least in my culture). What do I take from this?...

...Amid the prickly hazards of travel, you can find some exceptional gifts.

Labels: argentina, art, fossils, geologists, in-memoriam, patagonia, plants, south america, travel