The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-23
GUATEMALA's CEMETERIES.
Some Singular Ways of Commence
rating the Dead.

From the New York Sun.
Not every traveller would care to make
a practice of visiting cemeteries, but there
are at least two in the nation of Guate-
mala that ought not to be ignored. The
finest cemetery Of Central America is lust
outside Guatemala City, though this fact
IS only a lesser reason for visiting It. The
chief feature of interest Will be found in
the methods of disposng Of the dead.
First of all, as one enters the well-design-
ed gate IN the wall, he finds himself in
what may well be called a storage ware
house for the human dead There Is a
long hallway on each side OF the entry.
parallel with the street. As one walks
down this he sees vaults to rent and
vaults that are rented. one above the
other In tiers. Each vault Is just large
enough to hold cofhn The renter puts
the coffin In and seals the door with a
slab of marble on which the usual bio
graphical facts are carved AS long "a
the rent is paid the remains lie IN reace
and no longer There are two Easements
also devoted to vaults Of this kind-in all,
many hundreds of vaults have been pre-
pared so. Then there are whole streets
lined with tiny Gothic stone and metal
and cement structures, somewhat In imi-
tation OF old country cathedrals. There
are spires and minarets and towers, with
no end OF sculptured saints and angels
facing the streets. On going behind these
structures one sees arched openings, or
the doors that close openings, each of
which is large enough for a coffin.
The tomb of the late President Barrios
is the largest and most expensive in the
cemetery. II is a huge vault in the side of
a hill, not unlike vaults about New York,
with bronze categorical figures and filigree
work about the huge gate In front. E1se-
where there are hundreds of little cement
vaults above ground, each of which has
for collins. and in still another place are
many one-coffin vaults. But perhaps the
most curious part of the cemetery is the
single grave section where the poorer peo-
nile collins fQd in
as in the United States. But instead of
designating the dead by a biography carv-
ed on q headstone, there are long wires
strung over the graves. and over each
grave swings sheet of painted tin ON
which may be read the usual facts about
thed cad one who is buried beneath. And
swining signs that attract attention, the
signs are vociferous with creak and cry
and wind Certainly, II Central Americas
resurrectionists have nerves. that section
of the cemetery is forever safe.
The other cemetery worth visiting Is in
Villagers have for many years carried their
dead eastward along the beach and buried
them in the sand just within the shade OF
the Jungle growth. The graves lie exactly
as the graves of the dead at Kinakeet ON
Hatteras Island do-graves of which the
Sun once told story. And, as at Hatteras
Island so here at San Jose natures mood
has changed since the cemetery was first
planned, so that instead of allowing the
dead to rest IN peace. she had started a
sand wave rolling across the little cene-
terry before a relentless wind, which first
buries the grave and its cross out Of sight.
and then, uncovering all again, digs down
to discover the coffin and break it to pieces
and expose the bones to the wear of the
sand blast. The living have come to the
rescue and have driven stakes in one place
and piled logs in another, hoping to stay
the destroying power. but in every case
their labor was vain. have never seen any
conflict between man and nature that
seemed quite as pitiful as that afforded in
the cemeteries of Hatteras Island and San
Jose de Guatemala.