Hike to the Cemetary

I’ve been feeling a bit restless for the past few days, so I decided that I would take a hike today from my apartment in Sopocachi, which sits at the far south-east end of the city, to the Cemeterio of La Paz, which is at the opposite north-end of the Prado. On my way there I passed through the food section of the upper markets, which was even more crowded than usual because today is the 15th of Julio, the day before the “Independence Day” of La Paz.















There were also quite a few fiestas in the street, and one group was especially endearing – I heard drums and trumpets blasting from about two blocks away, and when I wandered towards the music saw a group of people dancing, singing, and laughing as taxis and buses rolled by.









After huffing my way up quite a few steep streets, I finally found the cemetery (I could literally feel the change in altitude). Amidst the bustling markets and street vendors, not to mention the smell of fried and roasted meat that is even quite enticing for a vegetarian, the cemetery was a large and fenced-in, and was surprisingly filled with trees and greenery. In comparison to the cement, cobblestones, and trash in the streets, it’s quite shocking to see a little oasis in the middle of a rather poor area.

The La Paz cemetery differs from those in the United States in several ways, but most markedly by the fact that people are not buried underground, but instead stacked vertically in building-like structures, as many as 10 “people” high. Instead of stone gravestones, each person has a little glass enclosure where their family members place fresh flowers, mementos, etc. There was so much greenery and fresh flowers that I didn’t feel like I was walking through a cemetery – instead of the somber, creepiness of American cemeteries, it had a festive and peaceful ambience that was almost akin to a sculpture garden.





[Flower market across the street from the cemetery]