Cementerio Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis

I mentioned in my last post that Cementario Santa María was one of the few places I wanted to visit in Puerto Rico. Thankfully, my friends were more convinced that we should stop in San Juan than I was so I was able to go to the cemetery. Situated on the northern shore of Puerto Rico Cementario Santa María was established in 1863 and is now the resting place of 1000 souls. According to SanJuanPuertoRico.com, "The oceanfront location of the cemetery is symbolic of the journey over to the afterlife and originates from Spanish superstition and fear of death."

Before we arrived at the cemetery we were told to be careful because it's common to get robbed - one needs to go through a tunnel to enter the cemetery. While I didn't feel unsafe near the cemetery, it's always wise to keep ones guard up. The cemetery is split into two sections, an old and a new. Sherlly and I were the only ones to walk through the cemetery, and we didn't make it to both sides because near the arch to the second section there were two older men standing telling us it was okay to walk through. While I don't like to make assumptions about people, I also wanted to be careful. Plus, we were running out of time anyways and it was sweltering. I definitely want to go back and explore the cemetery some more.