Known as the Cementerio General de Santiago, the national cemetery in the borough of Independencia is one of the largest in Latin America and makes for a lovely day of exploring if you're looking for something different to do in Santiago -- as we were.
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| A procession of women to visit the cemetery |
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| The Cementerio General de Santiago is filled with hundreds of family tombs |
We actually discovered the cemetery, with its inticate entrance, on another mission; so we returned the next weekend to stroll the urban park. With nearly all of the Chilean presidents interred here (minus two, according to Wikipedia: Gabriel González Videla and Augusto Pinochet), as well as many important military and political figures, the cemetery was created by national hero Bernard O'Higgins in 1821.
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| Behind the Salvador
Allende monument, there was a small bouquet of flowers with a hand-written note saying,"You are still remembered and still loved." |
While it does serve as the national cemetery, what is unique is that many "normal" Chileans have found their final resting place here; and on our Sunday visit, we saw that there were many who had come to maintain their family plots, watering and replacing flowers and plants, and spending time in general with their loved ones.
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| A mausoleum for a comercial union |
While there was a lot of exploring, Trippie did have a hard time keeping quiet during our time here -- though he lasted longer than most four-year-old boys would, I think.
I told him, "We have to be quiet here because this is a place for remembering."
He asked, "Why?" as he does now a great deal; and I replied, "Because it's hard to remember if you're talking."
That worked for a couple of hours, but then he declared, "OK, I'm done remembering. Let's go home."
And we did.
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| One of the avenues in the cemetery |
Nonetheless, it was a lovely time, and gave some intimate insight into families and history in Chile.
