A little different post than the others…
Scattered throughout the countryside are crypts that honor the deceased. In asking Sonia about these, I described them as Iglesias muertas (church of the dead, or dead church), and she understood me instantly, albeit while giggling.
Instead of large cemeteries, you can see small stone buildings that house the deceased, usually adorned with a cross and regularly decorated with flowers and other mementoes. The other day we spotted a huge crypt area: an open area, fenced off from livestock, with many stone buildings.
The individual crypts were in various stages of disrepair. Many had common family names on them, so I can only assume this area is for a large family, or for a family over a long period of time.
While these places are oddly beautiful and peaceful, the decrepit buildings and open doorways started feeling eerie. Then we started hearing bees, and found this on the outside corner of one of the crypts.
We didn’t stay long after that. Still, there’s something honorable and serene about these kind of places, I think.
Are any of these areas still being used today, or are they all just remains from long ago? Totally creepy, but cool to see!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure they're still in use. Some of the newer dates were 1997 and possibly one in the 2000's. It looks like people have put out "fresh" (as in, not dirty) silk flowers in or on some of the crypts.
ReplyDeleteAre these near La Corona? There don't appear to be two the same. It looks like some really interesting history.
ReplyDeleteNothing smells better than a fresh bouquet of silk flowers.
ReplyDelete