Every year on November 1 Peruvians flock to cemeteries to celebrate Día de los muertos, or Day of the Dead, a popular religious holiday where family members honor loved ones who have passed away.
In Lima, one of the most popular destinations on this day is the Virgen del Lourdes cemetery, located on the outskirts of the city in the Villa María del Triunfo district. Locals claim the cemetery, which covers approximately 63 hectares and houses an estimated 120,000 tombs, is the second largest in the world. The graveyard turns into a carnival every year as families come together to celebrate dead loved ones.
All photos courtesy of the author. Special thanks to Arturo Quispe Lázaro of Construyendo Nuestra Interculturalidad, a Peruvian culture magazine, and Miryam Yataco of New York University’s Steinhart School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, for their assistance on this slideshow.
