That Time When Body Snatchers Entered the City of the Dead

Cemeterio de la Recoleta. Photo by Marc Hartzman.

Buenos Aires is home to one of the world’s most extraordinary cemeteries: Cemeterio de la Recoleta. Opened in 1822, it’s the final resting place for many of Argentina’s wealthiest families. Recoleta is built like a walled city of the dead covering 14 acres, lined with narrow streets that are filled with mausoleums. Each is designed with intricate carvings, statues, and inscriptions.

But where there’s money, there are people who want to steal it. In 1881, a group of grave robbers snatched the body of the late Madame Dorrego from her vault and demanded a ransom from her daughter, Mrs. Felisa Dorrego de Miro, for its safe return:

A street lined with mausoleums at Cemeterio de la Recoleta. Photo by Marc Hartzman.

Esteemed Madam, you may probably faint on reading this, but there is no help for it, as circumstances beyond our control oblige us to act as we do. However, let us come to the point. We took your mother’s remains from the family vault at the Recoleta; have them safe, and will treat them with every respect—on conditions. Mrs. Dorrego left her children a colossal fortune, and they can scarcely wish to have her remains outraged and scattered to the winds, and their good and distinguished name stained. Five millions would be a mere bagatelle for them, but we do not wish to be hard on you, and we will take 2,000,000 of paper money to restore the remains to the vault, respected and untouched. We swear it.”

The body snatchers, called The Knights of the Night, further explained that terrible things would happen if his demands weren’t met. For starters, they’d yank the remains from the coffin and burn them, then scatter them to the winds. Then their anger would lead to even more bitter vengeance that would “overtake you in your gorgeous palaces sooner or later.”

The money was to be placed in a small red box at a specific time and location. A man would retrieve it, and no one was to speak to him or follow him.

Cemeterio de la Recoleta. Photo by Marc Hartzman.

Upon discovering that the vault had indeed been raided, Mrs. de Miro got the chief of police involved. The cops formed a plan of their own to stake out the scene in disguises and foil the scheme. Sure enough, they nabbed the mysterious man once he retrieved the box and chased down the other players, eventually obtaining their confessions and recovering the body.