Uruguay Honors the Life of Eduardo Galeano in Wake Ceremony

The official wake ceremony of legendary author Eduardo Galeano, who died Monday at age 74, will be held in the country’s capital of Montevideo on Tuesday in the grand Hall of Lost Steps in the Uruguayan Legislative Palace, the country’s customary location of solemn acts.

The event, which will be attended by friends, family and political officials, will convene to commemorate the life and legacy of the famed author.  

The ceremony began at 3:00 p.m. local time and is scheduled to conclude at 10:00 p.m.

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Among the invited guests is Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez, who following the news of his passing received a message of condolence from his Cuban counterpart President Raul Castro. 

“It is with deep regret that I have learned of the death of the outstanding revolutionary, intellectual and beloved friend of Cuba, Eduardo Galeano. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the unforgettable Galeano and the Uruguayan people whom so worthily he represented,” Castro wrote. 

The death of the influential Latin American writer has devastated his native Uruguay, while condolences have been pouring in from all ends of the political and artistic spectrum ahead of his wake on Tuesday. 

The Uruguayan Director of Public Relations for Parliament Carlos Yaffe told EFE news agency that that Galeano’s cremation ceremony will take place on Wednesday.  

The writer of about 35 books, including the “Open Veins of Latin America,” is considered to be one of the most notable authors of Latin American literature.