El Cementerio

Everything in Chile reminds of me of Argentina, just slightly more put together and organized. I read in a Smithsonian Magazine edition that an American museum interior designer is trying to revolutionize the settings of public spaces like museums, monuments, and cemeteries. She envisioned these places being frequented as regularly as cafes or libraries.
Argentina had an element of this social revolution in its parks and around its monuments, but Chile's cemetery does so far more so than Argentina's Recoleta Cemetery does. It is organized into streets with street names and there is even a quiet vendor with snacks, soda, and water. The cemetery is a small town for both the living and the dead. It's covered with well kept, lush green gardens blooming with colorful flowers and lots of purple. It is a much more peaceful resting spot than Recoleta cemetery in BsAs.
Chile's is also more artistic. Buried artists still display sculptures and giant detached heads of waiting family members reside always in anguish in front of the memorial to the disappeared.
There was a more diverse cultural presence too, from the Mayan tomb to the Roman, to the Egyptian.
Chileans seem to value open space more than Argentina. Sun actually shines in the city because there is enough room between the buildings and streets for it to pry its rays through.
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A the museum, what intrigued me most was the artisan appeal in the Indigenous artifacts. Their bowls have unique and pretty painted decorations. A haircomb's handle was covered in colorful fabric, and their jewelry had interesting patterns. I imagined an Indigenous woman adorning her tan skin in golden earrings while she tenderly grasped her prized comb and ran it through her long silky black hair. I imagine these people had a unique appearance and appreciation for beauty.