Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-09-14
auANAJuA1o,s csmereRY
a Queer Block 81 stone Crypts on mou
tain Side Comns For Rent.

a Queer Block II stone Crypts on Moan.
tain Side Comns For Rent.
r. II. Mack II lnyo county, who IA
engaged, with Patrick Rcddy. in some
mining enterprises In the strange little
Htato Of Guanniun,o. Mexico, 1000
miles below III paso, tells remarkable
story Of the queer burial customs In
The ancient city Of Guanajuato. the cap.
ital Of no little state. place $50 years
old. II isnt the old city. In the heart
Of Mexico. where the burying ground
Is, that Mr.. Mack Is interested In the
mining enterprise alluded to-
"rho burying ground is on high
point Of mountain near the town, "
said he, "nnd is nearly 100 yards
square II Is inclolod by a wall r. foot
in height and s feet thick, and IN the
walls are pigconholeliko places. or
crypis for the bodies
"Whcn u man dici, his relatives can,
ON tho payment Of $50. got him put in
ono ~ these cryptS The ends arc sealed
mp. and no il allowed TO stay there fos
five years. At the end 81 that time, II
the relatives come forward and pay
500 more. tho remains arc allowed 70
remain there pcrroiually r., however.
the relatives have died. moved away or
fail to put up the 800. tho rcmaius arc
taken out, cariod away and put into
great yard near at hand. where remains
have In like manner accumulated and
whore bonosnow lic 20 feet deep. There
IL flight of steps lending down into
passngoway which Is 100 feet long
AZ tho end Of this passagoway Is u great
excavation for tho east oil bones IL Is
hero that they ARE piled 20 such an i'm.
mon0o depth.
There arc 20 DO seen arms, legs,
skulls and other bones at pleasure or to
your horror, inst as You take H. Not
many Americans hnvo ever been there,
and Of those who have, including some
lady tourists, number have tainted
outright The sight was too much for
their nerves.
There Is u pottor's field aside from
oil this ~ part of the hnrying ground
already told about. aud this consists Of
trench In which bodies arc buried
three deep without amy kind OF colin.
"This being u huying ground aud
managed by the authorities, tho collins
that nro used arc owned by tho munici.
pality, and 1t simply rcnts the coffin Tor
use till the body is slowed away In tho
crypt told about awhile ago The collins
arc used over and over. and one Of thom
may have previously had 20 bodies In
It, IL ~ kept ms any other receptacle
would DO and So used "a long ~ it will
last
There Is another adjunct TO this 10.
marknblo hurying ground. IL is this:
At tho bottom Of tho stairs, on both
sides Of the 800 foot passageway. which
Is moro properly tunnel, are mummi-
fled bodies They nre sealed mp in the
holes ON each side, and thoy dry up in
such way Us 10 be preserved. An
American down there managed Co steal
ono Of these bodies, rs he thought il
would b. quite curiosity TO exhibit.
iIo got the body out In some way und
got clear TO Guadalniara with Il before
ho was discovered and brought back
''Ihn town Of uuanaiuato was found.
cd In llij. Al ono time Il had 90, 600
inhabitants, but now IL has 90, coo.
You can imagine the vast number Of
deaths that must hnyo occurred IN this
ancient town since IL was started, aud
this 10 tho only burying ground they
have, The deceased citizens have all
been slowed away there. San Fran.
| cisco Call.