This Sunday, April 6, the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance of Guatemala (Mspas), by means of a circular that was shared with all the funerary of the country, announced that the General Cemeterylocated in zone 3 of Guatemala City, “it will not allow more burials in this field.”
According to the authorities, the cemetery has already reached its Maximum capacity And for that same reason you can no longer receive funerals from next Monday, April 21. Given this situation, the MSPAS pointed to the general public that will soon begin the search for the corresponding measures to be able to release space.
It is speculated that in the coming weeks, the administration of the General Cemetery of Zone 3 will begin with the process of exhumation either unearthingas the act of extracting a body that is buried is known; Although there is a sector of the Guatemalan population that considers this action as a sacrilege.
In accordance with the provisions of the Ministry of Health, starting next Tuesday, April 22, the funerals will move to the public area of the Cemetery La Verbenalocated in zone 7 of Guatemala City, until the General Cemetery manages to free space to receive more burials in the coming months.
General Cemetery: “The City of the Dead”
The general cemetery of the 3 capital zone has become “The city of the dead”, As described by several residents of the sector, taking into consideration that the enclosure has very well traced streets and avenues, as well as the pleasant shadow offered by the great variety of trees, since some are brought from Canada.
“Visiting this field is like touring a city of the living, with Colonies established with proper names, such as the German, English and Italian, among others; But without a doubt, the most striking are the architectural styles of all mausoleums“added the assistant of the Research and Cultural Area of the place, Arnoldo García Andrade.
The general cemetery has become the last abode of several personalities in the history of this country, since among them is the former president Justo Rufino Barrios, Who was the founder of this necropolis in 1878, as well as the activist of the master struggles against Jorge Ubico, the teacher María Chinchilla Recinos.
In the pantheon the remains of María García Granadosdaughter of former president and leader of the liberal revolution of 1871, Miguel García Granados, in whom the renowned Cuban poet, José Martí, He was allegedly inspired to write the poem “The girl in Guatemala”, one of the most famous writings in the history of the nation.
The general cemetery was built during the government of General Justo Rufino Barrios and during its first era it was a dependency of the San Juan de Dios Hospital; However, since it was declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation More than 26 years ago, in August 1998, it is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health.
At present, the area of zone 3 consists of 26 apples And it has more than 31 thousand niches, so it shares the budget of Q24 million with three other pantheons that are also found in the capital city; However, according to the authorities, 70% of the budget is used for the payment of wages.