Almudena Cemetery—Cusco

The taxi drove us to Avenida Antonio Lorena and dropped us off in front of a large plaza. We paid him eight soles. Inca ladies sold arrangements of flowers on one side of the plaza. A vendor inside a kiosk sold decorations and snacks. 

Along the other side of the plaza was painted a mural with all sorts of colorful characters. Some wore masks, others played instruments, some wore ceremonial garb, but all the painted characters stood in this same plaza. 

Along that same side of the plaza were the walls of the cemetery. These walls were made of brick that appeared much older. Within the walls, but high enough to see from without, was the beautiful dome of a chapel. An archway along the wall served as an entrance to the cemetery. They say this wall was used by firing squads during the 19th century. 

The Cementerio General de La Almudena was built between 1846 and 1850 using rubble from the Convent of San Augustín that was destroyed during the Peruvian War of Independence. They chose an area far away from the city center where a hospital and the Temple of Almudena already stood. 

We entered through the archway into a world of the dead. The cemetery follows the same style as those found in Spain with most of the deceased placed in vaults and stacked in stories on top of each other. We walked down the various alleyways, taking note of names and dates. Nothing was very old. Most death dates came after the year 2000. I didn't know if there was a point when they removed older burials, or if we just couldn't find them. 

As I mentioned, outside the cemetery there were several booths selling flowers, while inside the cemetery we saw several families arranging flowers for loved ones. Each tomb had a shadow box where the family could display mementos such as soda cans, trinkets, eye glasses, flowers etc. 

Some families had mausoleums large enough to fit several tombs. Most of these we could look inside and see decorations, as well as individual tombs. One had stairs so we walked down and found twelve separate tombs. 

On the southwest corner of the cemetery was an old chapel with a large dome. The oldest burials we found were centered around this chapel. Here we also found the fanciest brickwork and elaborate statues. The dome belongs to the Temple of Almudena.  The chapel, which appears connected to the temple, is the Central Chapel of Santo Roma. The chapel used to house the funeral rites of the cemetery but now is used as an incinerator. 

One section that stood out was a wing of stacked vaults that were of a noticeably smaller size. I asked one of the workers who was entombed in these and he replied that they were children. By the diminutive size of the vaults, I concluded that they must have been babies. 

The cemetery was a busy place. Families visited loved ones, workers repaired walls and guards kept an eye on everyone. A dog even lounged in an alleyway, watching everyone go by. 

The cemetery lies on a hill overlooking the valley of Cusco. From certain points in the cemetery you can see the distant slopes near San Blas. Appearing small, but very distinct, is the statue of the White Christ with his arms stretched out. ♠