Cementerio General

Prof. Zañartu 951, Recoleta, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile

On all of my travels I hunt down cemeteries. The General Cemetery of Santiago, Chile blew me away. Endless avenues of stunning mausoleums, covered in vines and showing decay greet you as you enter the main gate. The angel statues are everywhere and create an open air art museum. Plan to spend at least two hours.

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RIP in Santiago

On all of my travels I hunt down cemeteries. The General Cemetery of Santiago, Chile blew me away. Endless avenues of stunning mausoleums, covered in vines and showing decay greet you as you enter the main gate. The angel statues are everywhere and create an open air art museum. Plan to spend at least two hours.

Cementerio General de Santiago

Cementerio General de Santiago is one of the largest cemeteries in South America. For those who enjoy strolling through cemeteries such as myself and find them a place of peace, memory, reflection, and honor for lives lived, this cemetery is no exception. For those interested in Chilean history this cemetery houses the tombs of nearly all chiles past presidents, multiple folk musicians, and the unmarked graves and memorials to those who disappeared during Pinochet’s regime. These last two are both haunting and moving.

Unexpected life in one of Latin Americas largest cemeteries

Over 2 million burials are estimated in Cementerio General de Santiago and yet life is everywhere. Flowers seem to breathe in every corner as brightly colored walls hold an endless labyrinth of shrines to loved ones. Not knowing exactly what to expect I was taken back at how many of the aisles where a celebration of peoples lives rather than a mourning of their death.

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