City of the Dead

What better place to go during the Day of the Dead season than to a cemetery?  In my past two trips during this time of year I have been to two of Mexico City's most famous cemeteries... the cemeteries of Dolores and San Fernando... and I have written on this blog about the famous people buried there.  On this trip, during my travels on the Metrobus, I passed another cemetery which has an interesting history, the "Panteón Francés de la Piedad".  The cemetery was originally established in the second half of the 19th century as a burial place for members of the French community in Mexico City, and was styled after the elegant cemeteries of Paris and London.  It was soon open to all (who could afford it), and became popular with other foreigners and with upper class Mexicans whose European tastes extended even to where they would be buried.  

Last Wednesday, the day before "Día de los Muertos", I paid a visit to the "Panteón Francés", and spent a couple hours wandering this place which resembles a city for the dead.

Over the gateway, written in French, is the verse "Happy is he who dies in the Lord".

To either side of the gate are flower stalls which were probably doing a good business at this time of year.

In the center of the cemetery is a Gothic-style chapel.

Numbered streets and avenues form a grid throughout the cemetery.  The Central Avenue has the most elaborate family mausoleums.  These structures are like small temples and feature ornate architecture and statuary.

The person who had this mausoleum designed was obviously a great fan of ancient Egypt.

It is each family's responsibility to maintain their mausoleum, and, sadly, some of the older structures have fallen into disrepair.

As you move away from the central avenue, the burial places tend to be less grandiose.  But even here there is lavish use of sculpture.

Some of the more recent graves were decorated for Day of the Dead, usually with the traditional marigolds.

There was an occasional lapse of good taste in decorating.

In one section, which appeared to be a recent annex to the cemetery, most of the graves were decorated, or were in the process of being decorated by family members.