In the Old Cemetery of Guanabacoa, grass invades the graves, which are looted by thieves.
14ymedio, José Lassa, Havana, May 31, 2025 — Among the rules governing the Old Cemetery of Guanabacoa in Havana, workers have been forced to immortalize one: “Witchcraft is forbidden.” Painted with black ink on a wall to try to scare away grave robbers, the poster unashamedly announces the main evil of the cemetery, stripped even of the copper rings that adorn the tombstones.
Construction began in 1814, and the cemetery was declared a National Heritage Site in 1997, but it “is abandoned because no one wants to work there for 2,400 pesos,” says Antonio, who was a gravedigger for eight years in the Old and New cemeteries of Guanabacoa, separated by the old road. “Conditions are pretty bad. It is full of weeds, and everyone knows that remains and copper rings have been taken away,” he says.
An open, rust-eaten fence welcomes the few visitors who dare to walk through the cemetery under the strong sun and high temperatures of May. Broken crosses lay on the ground, and the raised sidewalks and bushes growing at will cause doubt about the functionality of the cemetery, or whether there is anyone in charge of its care.
That same abandonment is what has attracted unwanted visitors, and the apparent calm of the cemetery is often disturbed by those who seek bones to perform rituals or metals to sell.
When there is a theft, it is rarely reported,” continues Antonio. “Some family member must see that something is missing from the tomb. The last case that happened was when they caught someone who stole some tomb rings. They detained the person as he drove through a traffic light, took him to the police station, took his bag of rings and let him go.”
Rodrigo is 50 years old, of which 30 were dedicated to being a graveyard keeper. Years ago, a stone of which he never knew the origin or the intention left him unconscious and unfit for work. Now, with difficulties in speech as a result of the blow, he resides in the back of the same cemetery to which he dedicated his life, retired and with barely 1,500 pesos in his bank account. “There is no graveyard that still has the rings,” he says in reference to the essential accessories for lifting the heavy grave lids. “They’ve caught people stealing from them, but I don’t know if the police knows that they’re selling the copper. They picked up a guy about a month ago. He said that he had found them, and they released him,” he says with regret.
More than the graves, the vaults dilapidated by time and torn apart by theft look like heaps of rubble. The accumulated garbage, the weeds that grow in any corner, even on top of tops and walls, and the remnants of Yoruba offerings accompanied by bottles of rum complete a desolate landscape. “Here people pass by and throw garbage into the cemetery, and everything is full of witchcraft. Although that happens in all the cemeteries.”
In addition to the Old Cemetery, the quintessential example, Guanabacoa has six other cemeteries, making it the municipality with the most graveyards on the island. In its interior is the Chapel of Potosí, founded with the name Chapel of the Immaculate Conception of Mary and the Holy Christ of Potosí and considered the oldest architectural work of Guanabacoa, dating from the seventeenth century.
“This, statistically, is heritage, but look how it is. The wall and the church have been rebuilt, but the last time was five years ago. At any moment they will collapse again,” says Rodrigo. “There has been no quality restoration.”
The wall that marks the boundary of the cemetery and separates it from the houses is low and irregular. In several sections it is leaning, and the bars that should be on top have also been stolen. The recently repaired bell tower of the church shows obvious signs of poor work due to its rapid deterioration, in addition to the shoddy finish that doesn’t go with the rest of the work.
According to Antonio and Rodrigo, the responsibility lies with the Comunales of Guanabacoa, although they recognize that the incentives for workers also leave something to be desired: “They pay very little and give nothing. If you work at the Colon Cemetery [in Havana], they give you shoes, pants, everything. Not here.”
The accumulated garbage, weeds and remains of Yoruba offerings complete a desolate landscape / 14ymedio
Translated by Regina Anavy
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