El Calvario...The Cemetery

In any culture there is a way of recognizing, praising, mourning, respecting, or celebrating a life that no longer walks this earth in human form.  Anthropologically speaking, for me, there is no right or wrong method to present the death of a human life or the idea that comes with or without an afterlife.

However, I am a curious person, and today proved my curiosity correct.

Since I have arrived, I have seen and heard the words "El Calvario" thrown around as the location where I live, a bus stop, a market, and a meeting place; but it is SO much more.  El Calvario is a Catholic church and beside it lies the ONE and ONLY cemetery in XELA.
LET ME REPEAT THIS.....THERE IS ONLY ONE CEMETERY IN THE ENTIRE CITY OF XELA.  I estimate that it is about a mile long and one half mile wide.  I have lived directly beside the entrance for a week now and have walked along the tall cement walls that line the outskirts, but have never been inside the cemetery itself.  Today was the day.

I bought 2 flowers from one of the many vendors outside the cemetery and entered the gate.  I chose not to take any photos out of respect, but simply soak in this memory as one of many I will only be able to capture through my own eyes while in Guatemala.
There are rows upon rows, almost like streets, of small structures dedicated to familial lineage.  I have been told to stay in the central line of the cemetery as it is so large, so this is where I begin.  As I walk, the loud horns and fumes of cars and buses seem to fade into the distance and I become absorbed into the memories, pain, mourning, and celebration of life that has occurred for centuries on this very path.  To my left, the enormity of Volcano Santa Maria looms as if it has watched each ceremony and evaporated each tear with its magnificent heat.  Headless statues and angels pepper the structures; possibly from age, or more likely from the rumbling earthquakes that tear through Xela so frequently.
As I continue on the path I begin to wonder how so many people could be buried here, and my question is answered.  I come upon one of two pyramid-like structures, possibly two stories high. I look through its ornately grated and locked gates, and I see a large hole in the center of the room.  There is a ladder sticking out of it, and I suddenly realize that there is most likely and entire cemetery under my feet.  I continue to peer through grates and holes and about 20 feet down, there are passages, or catacombs.  I must do more research on this subject.
The cemetery is covered in fresh flowers, as it is a regular practice for many citizens of Xela to visit the cemetery and place flowers at grave sites.  At this point, I am still holding my 2 beautiful flowers.  I suddenly feel a nagging sensation to turn left, and as I do, I see an old grave stone (amidst thousands) on a family's structure that is engraved with a woman's life from 1861-1911.  It says "She gave the world color" and there is an artist's palet engraved on her stone.  There are no flowers here; only dust.  I brush off her stone, and leave her a brightly colored flower...may she have a color wherever she is.

Some say cemeteries are frightening places, but I say that El Calvario is a place of wonder, tradition, and respect.  I left feeling peace in the midst of the largest piece of intact history and culture in my new bustling, modern, yet ancient city of Xela.