- Address: José Mascote, Pedro José Menéndez Gilbert 101 y, Guayaquil 090313, Ecuador;
- Official page: cementeriogeneral.org.ec;
- Phone: +593 4-229-3849;
- Opening date: January 1, 1843.
Could the cemetery be a tourist attraction? Yes, when it comes to the central cemetery of Guayaquil . It is considered one of the best and most beautiful not only in Ecuador , but throughout Latin America.
White city - the cultural heritage of Ecuador
January 1, 1843 in Guayaquil, opened a central cemetery, located at the foot of the hill of Sierra del Carmen. It occupies a huge area of 15 hectares and impresses not only the scale, but also the beauty of monuments and tombstones. The cemetery has the unofficial name of the White City (Ciudad Blanco) and is included in the guidebooks. In October 2003, it was granted the status of Ecuador's cultural heritage. Now there are 700 thousand graves on the territory of the cemetery, including the mausoleum of 1856.
The central cemetery consists of several sectors (mausoleums, crypts for indefinite use, niches for rent, ordinary graves). The White City effectively combines many architectural styles: Greco-Roman, Baroque, Italian, Arabian, Jewish. It was created as a city, but for the dead - with wide avenues, streets, stairs.
The oldest and most spectacular is the central part of the cemetery. There are beautiful statues and mausoleums made by the best Italian and French. In the center of the White City, those who made the greatest contribution to the development of Ecuadorian politics, culture, social life over the past hundred years are buried with great honor: Jose Joaquin de Olmedo, Vicente Rocafuerte, Pedro Carbo, Eloy Alfaro, Dolores Sucre, Victor Estrada.
In the back there is a cemetery for foreigners, which used to be called Protestant. Not far from it there was a Jewish cemetery: there the gravestones are distinguished by the carved star of David and the memorable inscriptions in Hebrew. Also in the Jewish part is a monument to the victims of the Holocaust.
Guided tours of the central cemetery of Guayaquil
In 2011, the cemetery was allowed to visit tourists, offering several sightseeing programs with euphonious names: for example, the Path of Eternity, Memory - the flight of an angel. Experienced guides show the most beautiful burials and acquaint visitors with bright biographies of people whose graves are on the territory of the White City.
The central cemetery of Guayaquil is open for visits every day from 9:00 to 18:00. The entrance for all visitors and excursions are free.
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