Farmer Plants 7,000 Trees in Guitar Shape for Late Wife

When Graciela Yraizoz died suddenly from an aneurysm in 1977 at just 25 years old, she left behind a dream she'd shared with her husband Pedro Ureta. She wanted to create something beautiful on their estancia in Córdoba Province, Argentina: a massive guitar made of trees, combining her love of music and nature.

Pedro decided to make her vision real. No professional landscape designer would take on the ambitious project, so he did it himself with help from their four children.

Over five years, Pedro planted 7,000 trees across 25 acres of Argentine farmland. He used different species to create depth and detail: evergreen California cypresses for the guitar's body, blue eucalyptus trees to trace the six strings, and pine cypresses to form the bridge.

The work was backbreaking. Several harvests failed before the guitar finally began taking shape in the pampas between fields of wheat, corn and soy.

The stunning result stretches 1.1 kilometers long and can only truly be seen from above. NASA has photographed it, and anyone can view the living monument on Google Earth.

Sunny's Take

Pedro's son Ignacio now helps care for the forest with his siblings, preserving their mother's dream decades later. He writes on a blog about how the guitar comes alive after rainy days, when each shade of green in the cypresses becomes more vibrant and distinct.

Pedro died in 2019 at 79, having poured nearly half his life into this labor of love. Because he was afraid of flying, he never saw his masterpiece from above, but he knew it was there, growing stronger each year.

Today, travelers following a rural path near General Levalle can walk through the monument, though the full guitar shape remains visible only to those who look down from the sky.

The forest stands as proof that love can outlive loss and that some dreams are worth pursuing even when the person who inspired them is gone.