Usually picturing a cemetery consists of rows upon rows of headstones, but in New Orleans, Louisiana, it is common to see above ground “tombs.” These tombs are bought by families to store their loved ones, they will be used time and time again, if a year has passed since it has been last opened.  

After unsuccessfully finding a way to properly bury their loved ones, people turned to creating tombs to hold their family members. This caused the cemeteries to be called “Cities of the Dead” since the tombs, which are surrounded by fences, looked like houses on the sides of streets. 

With the amount of flooding that takes place in Louisiana, the ground was either soggy, or completely flooded which made the caskets float or be washed away; obviously, people didn’t want their loved ones to be washed away, so they decided to create these above ground tombs. 

Walking in to Saint Louis Cemetery No. 2, one is met with the faces of many tombs, some with their front cover gone revealing the bricks underneath. The tombs are the final resting place for many people and are placed in rows, some old and some new.  

Some of the tombs have been there for such a long time that nature has taken over making them a mix of concrete and vines. Others are brand new, and example being Nicholas Cage’s tomb, and before you think “What?? I didn’t know he was dead??”, he’s not, he just decided to have it built. He has a ginormous white pyramid near the entrance to the cemetery.  

Tours of the cemetery are available to people who visit New Orleans and are very informational. It’s interesting to see how other cultures work and how they take care of their passed loved ones.  

 Another Interesting Article:

 http://www.experienceneworleans.com/deadcity.html