Why a Cemetery in Bolivia Became the Most Joyful Day of My South American Journey

It’s common for travelers to skip Sucre, heading straight from La Paz to Salar de Uyuni, which I almost did. However, this constitutional capital of Bolivia is well worth the time it takes to visit.

I didn’t have a reason to be there, which made my slow travel visit all the sweeter. I had left Peru a week earlier by bus and was making my way through Bolivia, heading down to Chile and Argentina.

A Joyful Day in an Unlikely Place

To my surprise, my most joyful day in South America was spent in a cemetery in Sucre, Bolivia. It wasn’t as dead as you might think.

I don’t actively search cemeteries out when I travel, and it’s certainly not normal for me to find joy there, of all places.

The recommendation hit me with surprise. “If you’re looking for something to do today, head to the Sucre General Cemetery,” my guide said when she realized I had decided to hang around Sucre for the day and not partake in any guided attractions that surrounded the beautiful city.

“Seriously, a cemetery? Why?” I said, hesitantly.

“Just go. It’s free and a close walk. You will see why.” So, off I went, a little reluctant that I might be wasting my precious travel time. I was also second-guessing not signing up for the hike with everyone else, or heading to the dinosaur exhibit, or the Museo Casa de la Libertad.

I thought, what do I really have to lose? Meanwhile, reminding myself that most of my best-lived travel experiences were days that stood out for simply blending in.

Those seemingly ordinary days turned extraordinary because the universe is working for you that day; no planning, perfect weather, usually costs nothing, involves walking slowly, and merely observing the surroundings. They are rare, but this was one of those days.

I Followed the Flowers

The walk itself from the main Plaza 25 de Mayo was mesmerizing on its own. I had grown so used to seeing vendors selling the typical street food and fruit stands (which still never gets boring), but the streets in this direction were lined with flowers.

Flowers in buckets, flowers on corners, flowers in shops, flowers on tables, flowers in stalls, flowers resting in women’s arms like a baby, one after the other. Roses, Orchids, Carnations, Peonies, bunched in colorful bouquets, and others left single.

Amusing to me now, it was unclear to me then why I was only seeing rows of flowers for the 2 kilometers leading to the cemetery. Their abundance tripling the closer I got.

It isn’t something I would see at home in Ontario around our cemeteries, so it took until my arrival at the entrance to finally realize the purpose of all the flowers for sale.

From my first glance through the grand white gates of Sucre’s Cemetery, I was hit with the realization that death and the memory of death are preserved quite differently in South America.

I have become so familiar with the sad, dark, dusty, cobwebby style of cemetery, fascinating, with graves full of history, yes, but lacking in color, personality, and life. The type of cemeteries that greet you with “No Dogs,” “No Bicycles,” and “No Loitering” signs. That was not this cemetery.

What Makes it So Special?

The Sucre General Cemetery is far from gloomy. Its name does not do it justice, and it immediately put me in Anne Shirley’s shoes.

In the famous Anne of Green Gables, she can’t fathom Mr. Barry’s Pond being called just that, so she names it “The Lake of Shining Waters.” Followed by giving the roads to school fanciful names like “Lover’s Lane” and “Violet Vale.” I found myself creating names to replace such a dull word: general.

Trees line each side of the wide, open pathways. Benches dot the edges. Dogs are walked. Bikes are ridden. People are laughing. Children are running. Ice cream is eaten. Music plays around corners. People read and journal in grassy nooks.

Lost lives are celebrated in vivid colors that bounce off every surface. Smiles more than tears are written over visitors’ faces.

I was struck with an appropriate amount of guilt for finding that I was enjoying myself while strolling through the vaults. But to my surprise, so was everyone else.

It was like a day in the park. I watched visitors tend to the flowers, discarding the wilted stems and dried petals, replacing them with freshly purchased street flowers, routinely. Nobody looked sad, and I didn’t feel sad.

Following the guilt, I asked myself, is it insulting to stand with a watchful eye, staring at families placing their vases and personal trinkets behind glass windows?

Is it disrespectful of me to take photographs? Unsure, I asked the staff, who encouraged and welcomed the actions, and in that, I found beauty.

What are Burial Traditions Like in South America?

Burial traditions in South America differ from those I am accustomed to in North America.

It’s my understanding that family members purchase a vault, and then after about a decade, the corpse is moved into a plot in the ground for another two decades. Afterwards, they are removed completely from the cemetery.

I inquired about the process because I was intrigued by the field of plots in the grounds that looked only slightly less cared for, surrounded by all the shining vaults, as well as the construction of new vaults being erected all around.

Recently deceased bodies fill the walls of vaults, stacked like mini apartment buildings. Each square is a memorial to someone I will never know, but I feel I do from the design of their shrine and the offerings placed inside the glass.

These are a testament to thousands of families who have lost somebody, and their stories are remembered through details and mementos: toys, guitar picks, stickers, cigarettes, letters, photographs, and mostly flowers.

Family and friends spend time and repeated efforts tending to their loved ones’ shrines. They remove old, wilted bunches, wipe away dirt, dust and bugs. They use the flower sinks and counters that are scattered around the property to tend to their fresh bouquets before placing them in their rightful places, only to do it again and again.

The process of keeping the flowers alive is what works to keep the memories alive.

I Was Enjoying Myself

After settling in and realizing I was not the only tourist or local enjoying myself. It felt solemnly appropriate to wander through the aisles, write in my journal, get lost in my own thoughts and watch the love and joy happening in front of me.

I have never savored a cemetery before, and any semblance of them being creepy or scary places to pass the hours in has vanished for me.

After visiting this far-from-general Sucre cemetery, I cannot think of them as anything other than colorful, welcoming, and just the right amount of peace.

There’s More to See…

There are many beautiful and unique cemeteries in South America, with one of the most famous in Argentina.

The Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires attracts visitors from around the world. It wasn’t on my list of places to see until I visited the Sucre General Cemetery. It piqued my interest in Recoleta’s maze-like graveyard, full of exquisitely carved above-ground burial sites.

I made it, but unfortunately, plans did not allow me to spend as much time there as I would have liked. I now know that when I return to South America, I’ll visit the beautiful cemeteries I missed the first time.

The cypress bushes in the garden graveyard of Ecuador’s Tulcan Cemetery, the array of architectural styles in Ecuador’s Cemetery of Guayaquil, Brazil’s pyramid-like Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro, and the manicured Punta Arenas Cemetery in Chile, to name a few.

These cemeteries, pulsing with life and vigor, make it easy to forget how isolated the subject of death can make you feel. Ironically, it brought forward a personal sense of aliveness, partly due to the zest of a good day.

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Author Bio: Claire Bunnik explores the world with curiosity and a cautious mindset, while documenting design, agriculture, the outdoors, arts, and lifestyles. When she’s not writing and taking pictures of this beautiful earth, she can be found practicing other mediums of art, teaching immigrant children in the greater Toronto area, reading novels, hiking, brainstorming unique story and song angles, and homesteading at her small Ontario, Canada farm with her husband and two little girls! You can find her @armadaclairebunnik and she’s currently donating to a charity in every country @25for195in2025! 

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