The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1891-07-10
LIKE CORN in A GRANAR1
HUMAN BODIES PILED UP IN
MEXICAN GRAVEYARD.

"A Ghastiy Sight I'm the Straneest
burytnG Ground OF the World
Mexican Burial Customs.
The straugest burying ground of the
world is here at Guanahuato, writes
Frank G. Carpenter to the New York
World. / have visited the most curious
graveyards on record, but I have never
eeen anything that compases with the
horrors saw to-day. Imagine -if you
can the bones of a hundred thousand
human beings torn to pieces and piled
one on the top of another like 50 much
corn in granary, Put all ages and
sexes together. Tear them limb from
limb and mix the mass of skulls, legs,
arms and ribs together so that the bony
fingers of one runs into the hollow eyes
OF its neighbor and tho parts of the differ
ent skeletons lose themselves in the vast
pile of this vaulted granary Of bones.
The cemetery of this city of Guana-
huato is situated ON the top of a high
hill overlooking the town. 1 entered BY
its wide gate and found myself sur.
rounded by great walls in court which
contained perhaps five acres of ground.
AhS "diio VI thiS COuTG WeIC dOOuG elRnG
feet thick, and as / examined them 1
found that thsy were in fact made up of
pigeon holes about three feet square and
six feet deep, some of which were open
and Others of which were closed with
marble slabs on which were printed the
names and virtues of the dead who were
shelved away within. There were thoti-
sands Of these pigeon holes, aud my guide
showed me a card giving the rates.
From it l see that these holes are rented
out to the bodies of the dead, and the
guide tells me that the most of them are
taken for about five years, after which
the bones of the deceased are taken out,
the pigeon hole is cleaned and it is ready
for the next occupant. 1t costs $25 for
the use OF one of these pigeon holes for
five years, and this seems to be the short.
est term for which they are leased. A
man who wants one perpetually can have
it by paying, 500, aud If he cares to
crowd his whole family into the same
hole he can have it for the lump sum of
$500.
Leaving the court was next con-
Quoted into the great storehouse for the
bones of the dead after their leases have
expired and they have been ousted by
their landlords from their tenements
above. There saw great piles of skulls
and other pieces of skeletons jun.
bled together in all sorts of shapes
and mixed up into one Heterogeneous
mass of bones, rising in slanting way
from the floor of the tunnel at an angle
of forty five degrees to the roof. Every
thing was jumbled together in the great
democracy of death. The bones of the
old and young were piled in and on one
another. The feet of men rested in the
skulls of women, and saw a great-toe
in the griuning teeth of what may have
once been beautiful girl. About an-
other skull the bones of an arm were
thrown almost caressingly, and legs and
arms, whole and in bits, were piled I'D
one on the top of another like so many
stones, and the whole, ghastly as it was,
looked more like the piled up Indian
corn in crib than anything else.
had my camera with mo in this
vault, and wished to take photograph
OF it: There was, however, no place on
rom ! the pruuOfp,o 'nat ,.~"' "'s'
WHICH to rest the camera, and [ Is; sugeeste @ e
t to the guard of the cemetery that he Q
0 get board. He at once picked up
. coffin from little pile which containe
, the mumn.ies of babies, and taking tt
mummy out held it under his arm whi
{ he propped the coffin on end and mad
, it stand level by putting a thigh bon
= from the great heap under one corner
Upon this 1 rested my camera and sue
ceeded in taking very fair picture. B,
lore left / took picture of this ma
with the mummy in his arms and anotht
OF him and his brother ghoul holding u
the municipal coffin, in which all the dea
, of this town have to brought to the gray,
yard. There are no hearses in this mour
tain city, and the town has fixe
rates for the rent Of its coffin.
These coffins are so big that anothe
coffin can be put inside of them, an
they are carried on the shoulders of tn
bearers up the steep hill. As soon g
they enter the cemetery the ccfians ar
placed on ledge or stone table and ar
opened, for the purpose, it is said, G
seeing that not more than one corpse
buried in one coffin, and that the GENE
terry gets its full fee for ever
corpse.
The general customs of mourning i
Mexico are somewhat different from our
Mourning is much more general an
black is put on for intimate friends an
for distant relatives. 1t is, however
worn a shorter time, but the occasion
for mourning dresses are so frequent tina
every lady has her mourning suit in he
wardrobe. If, for instance, a youn
lady dies, her friends wear black for he
for thirty days, and if it is the youn
girls mother who is dead the friend
will put on black for half that time
Ladies do not attend funerals in Mexico
but they pay visits of coincidence sool
after the death, and such visits are mad
IN mourning clothes.
'-t-mesro ciry IS perhaps inc uur
place in the world where the street car
are the ;hearses. A funeral costs $500 !
at all respectable, and in the case of TO,