The record-union., 1891-02-08
THE QUICK And THE DEAD.
How Arequipanians Dispose Of
Their Dear Departed.
Scenes in Typical Cemetery In South
America-An Accumulation of Hor-
rors-Mixing the Bones of the Pop
uIace-GhastIy Sights.
cialcorrespondenceof the REcoRp-UNIosl

RAISING along tne street one Gay, our
attention was drawn to the subject OF
funerals in a forcible and rather unpleas-
ant manner. With hands full of roses
we were musing on the cold winter
weather at home and the beauty of tropic
sunshine amid snow-clad mountains,
when we barely escaped being knocked
down and run over by four horses driven
furiously, the foremost one ridden by
position, that came dashing around the
corner attached to a hearse. About the
only thing that goes with speed in lazy
Peru is a funeral procession; and when
wheels are out "a comparatively rare oc-
currence in Arequipa) they claim the
right of way, not only in the street, but
ON both pavements, invariably cutting off
all corners so closely as to Craze the
houses. This is not always the result of
carelessness, however, nor DIE to 'mal-
ice aforethought' on the part of the
drivers. The city streets are very narrow
and irregular, paved with small slippery
stones, and sloping sharply from the
middle toward gutter on either side.
Consequently, clumsy wheels will slide
toward the edges, and in many places the
only way to prevent them from actually
leaning up against the houses is to drive
pell-mell.
Considering the fearful jolting over
stones and hollows and broken places in
duced by such locomotion, there is little
danger of being buried in a trance in
Arequipa-at least where the hearse is
employed. The poor people, of course,
cannot afford to hire it, but carry the dear
departed on their heads to the cemetery
distance of something more than three
miles from the central plaza. Most of
the latter class cannot even afford coffin,
though the luxury of wooden box,
painted black, blue or yellow, may be
rented for the journey between the
Cathedral and the place Of intermediate
same coffin serving the purpose over and
over again, day after day, for years. 1t
is not uncommon to meet a company of
men carrying their dead on public bier,
the latter being constructed of five mar
row pieces of wood, about foot apart,
nailed crosswise to the side poles that
serve for handles, the end-boards stained
black and showing cheerful skull and
cross-bones outlined upon them with
white paint.
The procession so unpleasantly en-
countered was evidently that of swell
Arequipanian, for the coffin had silver
handles on it (the gauge of highest swell
dom here), while several priests rode next
to the hearse, followed by forty or fifty
men, all on horseback. The sight re-
minded US that we had not seen the ceme-
rode out on horseback, accompanied by
party of resident foreigners-for it is
utterly impossibly to induce a native, of
high or low degree, to escort any stranger
to the Campo Santo-a fact we ceased to.
wonder ut when we had visited the
place.
Arequipa's only burial ground is stu
ated on a barren foot-hill, reached, after
the city limits are passed, by an unin-
habited road whose deep sands are alter
mated by stretches of loose powders. 1t is
avery small place, considering that the
city is more than three centuries old, and
during all that time has had population
varying between twenty and fifty thou
sand. The front of it is quite imposing,
with high adobe walls and massive iron
gates set in the arches; and just inside is
a well-kept space devoted to flower beds,
which give no hint of the horrors to be
met with few steps beyond. In this
end aristocrats are buried, in inches
three deep in the surrounding walls, with
top and sides of lava stone six inches
thick and adobe foundation. Most of the
inches have no mark, except a number
rudely painted on the face, correspond
ing to figures placed opposite the tenants
name III the church records. Some Of
them have name scratched on the dried
mortar with lead pencil, and few have
marble slabs deliberately lettered, setting
forth not only the name and virtues of
u,
of his or her wealth and social import
ance. AT the top of these latter are
generally inscribed the words micho per-
petuo, to indicate that the cadavar will
occupy the place ''for life,'' SO to speak.
AS grave robbery is of very common
occurrence-not for scientific purposes,
as there is no medical college anywhere
near, but simply to secure whatever OF
value may have been buried with the
corpse, even to the boards of its coffin,
wood being scarce hereabouts-the front
of each niche is not only firmly closed
with mortar, but further guarded by an
iron grating.
Of course the ghoulish work of the
resurrectionist is done at night, because
there is hardly an hour in the day with
out an interment; and innumerable
CHASTITY stories are told of finding the pale
clay of well-known men and women
tumbled out on the ground and stripped
OF grave-clothes, rings, shoes, everything
that the love of the living had arrayed
them in for the last long sleep. An Incl
dent of this kind, illustrating the Cholo
character, occurred q few months ago,
and is said to be directly responsible for
the terrible epidemic OF smallpox that
afterwards carried off its victims at the
rate of two or three hundred a week. AS
in most parts of South America, isolated
cases OF the disease are always to be found
in Arequipa, and nobody minds it more
ills. a very fat old woman died of what
is known hereabouts as pfrItdiaaegra
(black smallpox, and her remains were
hurried into the ground without q coffin,
there being none in the limited stock on
hand large enough to accommodate her
build" Knowing well the tricks and
manners OF their compatrlotS, the friends
left nothing of value upon her but plain
gold ring, which they could not get off
from her swollen finger. Next morning
early, the first funeral procession that
arrived at the cemetery found the old
lady on top of her grave. black smallpox
and all, minus her wedding ring, the
swollen finger that wore it having been
cut off close TO the hand. They returned
the purifying corpse with all possible
speed; but for three successive mornings
thereafter she was found diSinterred
having been resurrected again and again
by other robbers who were not aware
that the bit of gold had already been APP
propriated.
AT the far end of the Enclosure is that
portion set aside for the burial of foreign
ers, generally known as 1.-The English
corner" There was great difficulty in
securing this concession TO the alien ele-
ment, and to this day the spot is looked
upon by the natives with reproach and
contempt, as if the nearness of bones that
may possibly have held hereto souls
Were an insult to those who died in the
Lord" Near the cemetery gates is a neat
little chapel, and kind of receiving
vault in which corpseS are placed to await
their turn for interment, when several
funerals happen to arrive ut once. Mid
way between the chapel and the strangers
corner, exactly in the center of the group,
is tall, circular edifice of plastered
adobe. which looks from a distance like
the marble walls of Greek temple. A
nearer view of this ''whited sepuleher''
f1iSclOSeS on accumulation of horrors Sr,f-