On Saturday, Sra. Alicia and her son, John, volunteered to be our tour guides to the cemetery in Tulcán. I had heard about it but had never been there, so I was glad for the opportunity to do a bit more sight-seeing in my own field.
Here's what one website says about Tulcán's cemetery.
In 1936, gardener Josè Maria Azael Franco, who worked as the caretaker of the city’s municipal cemetery, began sculpting the rows of bushes under his care into a variety of shapes and designs. There are the archways and angular geometric shapes that can be found in topiary collections around the world, but Franco also created a number of unique natural sculptures all his own. The garden features animals, angels, Incan symbols, and bulbous, iconic creatures squatting in a row.
Franco passed away in 1985 and was fittingly buried at the cemetery, in the shadow of his life’s work. The topiary wonders live on to this day, cared for by Franco’s five sons, and the cemetery staff. Today the 3-acre graveyard features more than 100 creations, creating an immersive sculpted necropolis. As Franco himself put it, the cemetery is a place “so beautiful it invites one to die.”
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tulcan-municipal-cemetery
John & Sra. Alicia
And I'll just add a note here: Please excuse any repeats you may encounter. I must confess that I did not go through these with a fine-tooth comb.
It appears that there are room for three caskets in each of these vaults.
Some folks have enough money to purchase their own "tomb room." Usually it's for an entire family, but occasionally the whole thing is dedicated to a single person.
Most people are buried above ground in Ecuador, and this cemetery is no exception. There is a space in the middle for underground burial, but most of the cemetery is filled with these above-ground plots.
One tour guide passing by announced to his group that once the remains are removed from rented plots, they are put into garbage bags and "placed" down here. I wasn't sure whether or not to believe him, but he did present it as the truth, so maybe...
Park of Memories
Leaving
These ice cream "cones" are very typical in this part of Ecuador.
The line of cars to get back into Colombia was LONG! So, the vendors were taking advantage of all the "parked customers."
Here's a vendor selling a typical sweet - dulce de guayaba with cheese.
Taxis waiting at the border
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