Granada cemetary

Our tour of Granada began just outside of town at a cemetery where some of the tombs are over 500 years old. We were fortunate that Paulette took some extra time to give us a personal tour of the cemetery. In addition to the incredible sculptures and the demonstration of carving marble headstones we also got to witness the vast differences between the tombs of the rich and those of the impoverished. Tourist guides note, "testaments to Granada's history of wealth," but less obvious is the testament to the marginalization of the poor...even in death. One wall of tombs for the poor were basically rented. When a new space was needed, the old bones were cleared out and stored in a shed next to the tombs to make room for the new body. We could see old names and dates painted over. We also saw several tombs that held, and paid tribute to, some of the Sandanista fighters, many of whom died as young men fighting for the people's freedom. The subject matter fits in with several of our books like Kate Braestrep's Here if You Need Me and one of our field trips upon our return will be to visit and reflect upon UMA's 9-11 memorial. ...Sarah