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All Guatemala Chichicastenango Chichicastenango Cemetery

Chichicastenango Cemetery

One of the world’s most colorful cemeteries, where each pigment is symbolic.

Chichicastenango, Guatemala

Added By
Lew Blank
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Colors of Chichiastenango   Stacy / CC BY-SA 2.0
Colors of Chichiastenango   Stacy / CC BY-SA 2.0
Vibrant mausoleums   Richard LiBlanc / CC BY-SA 2.0
Overview of Chichicastenango Cemetery   Shaun Robertson / ThisLifeInTrips
Looking down a corridor of tombs   Shaun Robertson / ThisLifeInTrips
Colorful crosses   Shaun Robertson / ThisLifeInTrips
Tall colorful mausoleums   Shaun Robertson / ThisLifeInTrips
Panorama of the cemetery   Shaun Robertson / ThisLifeInTrips
Jesus design   David Dennis / CC BY-SA 2.0
Cemetery atop the hill   auntjojo / CC BY-SA 2.0
  taylormack / Atlas Obscura User
  taylormack / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Away from the town center of Chichicastenango, Guatemala, on a hill that is rarely touched by tourists, one of the most colorful cemeteries in the world is hidden in plain sight. Steeped in Mayan tradition, the vibrant rainbow of pigments celebrates the afterlife, and can symbolize different family roles, like a color-coded clue to the puzzle of the dead. 

Featuring rows upon rows of painted crosses and tall mausoleums, the Chichicastenango Cemetery is a perfect example of Guatemala’s brighter outlook on burials. In a town where the majority of the population is indigenous Mayan K’iche, the cemetery is also the home to a variety of rituals on Day of the Dead, including incense, alcohol, and the occasional chicken as offerings to the deceased.

Many tombs are colored based on the person’s family status. Tombs may be painted white to represent purity; graves of mothers are painted turquoise for protection; grandfathers are marked in yellow to indicate that the golden sun will protect humanity. Other graves break this more traditional mold, painted in lime green or red or the favorite color of the deceased.

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Cemeteries Color Mayan

Community Contributors

Added By

lewblank

Edited By

taylormack

  • taylormack

Published

May 15, 2017

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Sources
  • http://www.hanway.es/cementerio-de-chichicastenango-guatemala/
  • http://www.amusingplanet.com/2015/02/the-colorful-cemeteries-of-guatemala.html
Chichicastenango Cemetery
Cementerio de Chichicastenango
Chichicastenango
Guatemala
14.943841, -91.114812
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Galería Maya Pop Wuj

Chichicastenango, Guatemala

miles away

Atitlan Antique Rose Garden

Panajachel, Guatemala

miles away

Lago de Atitlán

Guatemala

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Chichicastenango

Chichicastenango

Guatemala

Places 2

Nearby Places

Galería Maya Pop Wuj

Chichicastenango, Guatemala

miles away

Atitlan Antique Rose Garden

Panajachel, Guatemala

miles away

Lago de Atitlán

Guatemala

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Chichicastenango

Chichicastenango

Guatemala

Places 2

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