A Reinterpretation of the Classical: The Mausoleum of Pedro del Río Zañartu in the General Cemetery of Concepción, Chile

Abstract

One of the urban spaces in which nineteenth-century elites most clearly expressed their identification with classical culture was the cemetery, as burial monuments—often conceived as mausoleums—externalized this attachment to the Greek and Roman past. This study proposes a reinterpretation of the sculpture of the mausoleum of Pedro del Río Zañartu, located in the General Cemetery of Concepción,Chile. The observation of the sculpture, together with an analysis of Pedro del Río’s writings, allows us to reconsider the conventional descriptions that portray him primarily as a public figure associated with classical heritage. From this perspective, new avenues of analysis emerge for exploring the various forms through which the Classical was expressed.