Last updated on .
The Mompox Cemetery (Cementerio de Mompox) is located about a block from the Church of Santo Domingo in the historic town center. Mompox is a Colombian Heritage Town (Pueblo Patrimonio) as well as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
History
Originally, burials took place in the patios of churches and cloisters. Unfortunately, because the bodies were not properly buried, several epidemics broke out in town. Spanish priest and botanist José Celestino Mutis suggested a new cemetery be built. The Mompox Cemetery opened in 1831.
Entrance
The entrance to the cemetery is through a beautifully manicured park. To the right is a statue of the ancient Greek muse Euterpe.
Above the gate to the cemetery is the phrase “Here confines life with eternity” (“Aquí confina la vida con la eternidad”).
Cemetery
Inside the gates, there’s a brick path down the center. On either side appear to be the tombs of the wealthier citizens of Mompox.
Tombs
Among the most important people buried in the cemetery are General Hermógenes Maza (1792-1847) and Candelario Obeso (1849-1884). Maza was a Colombian revolutionary hero who retired to private life in Mompox in 1826.
Obeso was an important poet of mixed white and African descent. He died a tragic death in Bogotá after a gun he was handling discharged and left him with a bullet in the chest. It’s not known if it was a suicide or an accident.
There are also a few other tombs that caught my eye. One belonged to a soldier who died in the Korean War in 1953. Another belonged to a local musician. There was another grave of a German immigrant to Colombia.
Chapel
At the end of the path is a chapel. It was consecrated in 1840 by the Bishop of Santa Marta, Luis José Serrano Díaz. The altar was made mostly of Carrara marble. Surrounding the chapel are simpler tombs.
