The Press., 1897-05-06
GUANAJUATo,s CEMETERY.
A Queer Block of Stone Crypts on a Noun
 tain Side-Cofans For Rent.


 tain Side-C offins For Rent.
 P. H. Mack of Inyo county, who is engaged, with Patrick Reddy, in some mining enterprises in the strange little state of Guanajuato, Mexico, 1000 miles below EI Paso, tells remarkable story of the queer burial customs in the ancient city of Guanajuato the cap ital of he little state, place $50 years old. It is at the old city, in the heart of Mexico, where the burying ground is, that MT Mack is interested in the mining enterprise alluded to,
 ''The l.neying ground is on high point of mountain near the town, ," said he, and is nearly 100 yards square. It is inclosed by a wall l2 feet in height and 8 feet thick, and in the walls are pigeonholelike places, or crypts, for the bodies
 "When man dies, his relatives can, on the payment of $40, get him put in one of these crypts The ends are sealed up, and he is allowed to stay there for five years. At the end of that time, if the relatives come forward and pay $100 more, the remains are allowed to remain there perpetualIy. If, however, the relatives have died, moved away or fail to put up the &100, the remains are taken out, carted away and put into a great yard near at hand, where remains have i'll like manner accumulated and where bones now lie 20 feet deep There is flight Of steps leading down into passageway which is 300 feet long. At the end of this passageway is great excavation for the cast off bones It is here that they are piled to such an inn mense depth.
 'There are to be seen arms, legs, skulls and other bones at pleasure or to your horror, just as you take it. Not many Americans have ever been there, and of those who have, including some lady tourists, a number have tainted outright The sight was too much for their nerves.
 ''There is a potter's field aside from all this as part of the burying ground already told about, and this consists of a trench ill which bodies are buried three deep without any kind of coffin.
 "This being a burying ground and managed by the authorities, the coffins that are used are owned by the munich pality, and it simply rents the coffin for use till the body is slowed away i'll the crypt told about awhile ago. The collins are used over and over, and one of them may have previously had 20 bodies in it. It is kept as any other receptacle would be and is used as long as it will last
 tThere is another adjunct to this re- markable burying ground. It is this: At the bottom of the stairs, on both sides of the 800 foot passageway, which is more properly tunnel, are mummi- fled bodies They are sealed up il the holes on each side, and they dry up in such way as to be preserved. An American down there managed to steal one of these bodies, as he thought it would be quite curiosity to exhibit He got the body out in some way and got clear to Guadalajara with it before he was discovered and brought back.
 ''The town of Guanajuato was found ed in 1545. At one time it had 90, 900 inhabitants, but now it has 50, 000 You can imagine the vast number of deaths that must have occurred in this ancient town since it was started, and this is the only burying ground they have. The deceased citizens have all been slowed away there. San Fran cisco Call