Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery
We went over to the wall to look down into the graveyard. I said "let's go" with excitement and the hubs was like "Really? You're going down there?"....YEP!
This is the road leading down there.
​It's a very small road with a small tunnel. I was hoping we wouldn't run into any cars along the way because there's a big turn right before you get to the tunnel and it would be hard to see anyone.
We made it and here was the entrance.
The beautiful statues were everywhere.
Santa Maria Magdalena is the name of the cemetery. It was built in 1863. The wall around the graveyard averages around 40 feet tall. At the time it was built, Spanish superstition viewed death as a mystery and with fear. So, they decided to build the cemetery to overlook the Atlantic Ocean to symbolize the spirit's journey to cross over to the afterlife.
Some of the most prominent Puerto Ricans are buried here and you were considered lucky if you got a spot here in this one of a kind cemetery.
The cemetery is divided into two parts, the old and new cemetery. Walk through the beautiful gate painted in yellow and white, and there you’ll find the oldest burial sites including the ones of notable and important personalities in Puerto Rican history. Among them are Jose Ferrer, Jose de Diego, Rafael Hernandez, Jose Celso Barbosa, Salvador Brau, and Pedro Albizu Campos.
There was a lot of destruction after the hurricane and the graveyard was not spared either. Workers have been trying to repair gravestones that toppled over and there is still a lot of evidence in the destruction it did.
Most of the destruction consisted of the sites closer to the sea wall.
I can't even imagine the type of money you would have to have in order to be buried here.
Walking over to the other section. I had read that it is the older section.
I took so many pictures that day. It was just so beautiful. These that I have shared are just a few that I picked out.
We decided to head out and over to El Morro.
Back up the small road we went...hoping for no traffic along the route.
