We Hang Out in Cemeteries.

So apparently my language school wanted me to relive my long-haired metal days.  Instead of class, they took Emily and me (along with a bunch of other students from the language school--lots of Germans!) to visit three different cemeteries in honor of Dia de los Muertos.

Side note--I didn't wear sunscreen.  So now my burn has a burn.  I read somewhere that it takes a cat over 20 repetitions to remember/learn something.  I think I have some cat DNA.  Don't tell Emily.

The first cemetery we visited was the oldest cemetery in Arequipa.  It was filled with ornate vaults (some of which looked like inviting little houses) and lots of bodies housed in walls.  Everything was colorful as most of the graves were decorated with bouquets of flowers and stuffed animals.  I thought I saw a Mary statue with a devil tail.  Turns out it was a Mary statue with an anchor behind her.  Nautical Mary.

One of the more interesting graves we saw was for a man from Arequipa who was executed in the late 60's for murdering his wife.  Pretty much right after he was killed people began to doubt that he committed the crime.  So he was made into a saint.  To this day people bring tons of flowers and money to his grave to pray for miracles.

The next cemetery we visited was incredibly different.  It was in the hills outside Arequipa and was the cemetery for people with less money.  The gravestones were definitely not as ornate, but the party was a rager!  It is a tradition to bring your dead family members their favorite food and beverages to commemorate their lives and celebrate them.  It is a bit surreal to see a bunch of graves covered in food and Inka Cola.  There were hired bands playing music over graves and tons of people sharing food and drinks. The whole thing felt much more celebratory than the previous cemetery.  Although it felt a bit weird to just trample through the middle of a bunch of graves, especially when most of them were piles of stones (according to the dates, some were really fresh!)

Finally we visited the most expensive cemetery of the 3.  It was the most European/North American inspired, complete with lots of grass, underground burials, and immaculate groundskeeping.  It was also much more boring to look at.  They had a strict ban on food or drinks left on graves.  I've decided that when I go, I am totally down with food and drink being strewn all over my headstone.  I'm also down with the whole band playing music in commemoration--as long as it's not Dave Matthews.

So all-in-all it was a super interesting day.  I feel like it would be appropriate to make some type of goth-inspired vampire joke here, but a certain teen idol vampire with horrible one-liners and a sparkly chest has pretty much ruined vampire lore for life.  So instead I'll teach you the Spanish word for "wizard."  It's "MAGO!"  Now I'm going to go serenade my wife with Iron Maiden songs.