The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-26
THE GUANAJUATo CATAc0MBs.
The Only Burial Place OF the Kind in
America.
bal. in Godey's MagazIne.

d. G.. Cunningham in Godey's Magazine.
Knowing what you expect TO see here. it is only
little nervousness and trepdaton. But you are
reassured when you do enter the big gate, Tor
there is nothing uncanny or triste' yet TO be
seen. On the contrary. this Mexican Gods
Acre is all tranquil and bright and beautiful
and you do not think even Of the square. black
lettered spaces, that are honeyeombed one above
the other, all the way around the great wall Of
the Panteon These square spaces, five rows Of
them, contain = vault each, ana that IS where
intermcnt IS made.
1t is an enormous place this cemetery. And
vel that 1t Is 50, for, during the great typhus
epidemic in 1893 II received $50 people say about
third of the then population Of Guanajuato.
For time the City Council kept some sort OF
tally on the deaths. but as later on, the Council
itself and most OF the physicians succumbed TO
the fatal disease no count Was kept and inter
ment was made in great trench dug in the
center of the Panteon, coffin, with spring
in the bottom, serving FOR all, when the ceremony
OF a coffin used at ALL
However, waving the matter OF epidemics. in
GuanaJuato when a person dies the family az
in this PanteOn, rent 81 per month, payable In
advance. Then the deader' (as Sentimental
Tommy has it, is put away in OF these
vaults not to wait the last trump but to await
the next Panteon payday. When that day comes
fiscal year. the City Council have the vault un-
sealed the coffin taken out and the ''deader
transferred to the huge passages below the Pam
teon, in the "Catacumbas
The 'Catacumbas'' comprise enormous UNDER
ground passages that run all the way around the
Ine Panteon man pushes back big. fiat stone.
over in corner Of the cemetery. and invites you
to step into a small dark hole which admits
only one person at time. and contains small.
winding stone stair built pretty much on the
ccrkscrew plan
Some goddess person. with more sense of humcr
than grace. has placed the tallest, ugliest and
canniest (if there IS such word OF all the
mummies at the very bottom OF the last STEP
arranged that YOU descend the crooked
stairs you land right into his bony arms.
IL is truly a grisiy thing to see once you are
safely there Imagine TO yourself long. scene
ingly endless white passages, silent only death
make them. heaped up at each end with
great piles Of bOnes--the bones OF those who
refused mummify-and lined thckly with
mummy after mummy horrible, brown
skinny things, fastened in a standing
position against the walls. many OF them
with their grinning, heshless faces turned
toward other mummies. though in conversa-
ton. others with heads bowed. IN meditation
prayer, and others with faces blanky staring
up at the stone walls above. Once SEEN Il is a
thing that you do not forget.
Along one side the gentlenan-mumnies
the other the ladies' and Unfortunately mixed
among them, are the poor hahy-mummtes.
There Is not, strange TO say. the slightest hint
OF a disagreeabie cdor. Rather 1nera IS 4 smell
OF lime. The place Is beautifully clean and white
and there are even some birds thar build down
here and bring up their young ones among the
mummies.