2022 Disney Cruise Report Day 3 - Cemetery in Cozumel

As Day 3 of the 2022 Disney Cruise Trip Report continues, we are in Cozumel, Mexico, and on the lookout for interesting things to see...

Note: this part of the trip report is a bit shorter than the others, but I feel like it deserved its own post, just because what we found was so interesting. And it was really tempting to fill it up with a lot more photos than I have included here.

We came to a park and a few government buildings that looked interesting from the outside, although we did not try to go inside. But we also found a map of the area on a sign outside of the government buildings. It showed a cemetery a few blocks away, walking away from the shore instead of along it. So we set out to try to find it, because cemeteries are one of those things that Laura and I enjoy seeing. Yes, we are not your normal tourists. We like to see the real stuff.

We wandered up the street and turned where we thought it would be. Along the way, we noticed some of the interesting trees that were growing there. And Dad and I took note of the electric services, because that is what electrical engineers do. We also were interested in the water cisterns on each house roof, similar to what Laura and I had seen in Jamaica and elsewhere.

After a bit of wandering, maybe even looking like we were lost, we found a gate to the cemetery. Unfortunately, it was chained and locked. Oh well, you can’t win them all, right? But we kept on walking around the large stone fence, looking at the murals on the fence. And then we went around a corner, and there was the main gate to the cemetery. And it was open!

Actually, I took this photo of the cemetery entrance as we were on our way out, but it fits better here in the story.

Should we go in? Laura looked in, and a man called out, “Come in! Come in!” Laura and Mom were the first to go in, and the man, who I later guessed was the caretaker, started showing them around and telling them all about the monuments that were there. “Take pictures! Take pictures!” he said. And so we all did.

At first, we came to a large graveyard with lots of small markers, many of which had been decorated. Our guide said in his broken English that all of those had died from COVID. And there were lots of them, too. It was a sad reminder of what the world had been through in the previous two years, and a reminder that having our cruise canceled twice was not necessarily a bad thing. Cemeteries are always a little somber anyway, but seeing all of these COVID graves made it hit home even more.

Just some of the many COVID-related graves at this cemetery. There were lots, sadly. Also, over the back wall and in the distance you can see the Mega Soriana store from the previous post.

We then moved on into the main part of the cemetery. Each family had a “house” for the crypts of their loved ones. And inside were pictures, candles, and mementos of those loved ones. It was very much like what we had seen in the movie Coco, and it was all so cool. And there were also some large iguanas roaming around, which was pretty cool, too. Each family’s monument was different, and it was interesting to see them all together, as well as individually. Needless to say, we took lots and lots of pictures.

Just a few of the many “houses” that we saw.

Rows and rows. And they were all interesting.

A view inside one of the structures. They were all different, and they were all fascinating.

One of the families had even put in a well, and the guide was interested to show it to Laura. He lowered the bucket down by a rope and pulley, and then pulled it back up full of water. “For the flowers,” he said. And it was amazingly cool water, too. Not that we drank any, but we did stick our fingers in because he wanted us to.

Drawing water from the well for the flowers

Some of us could have looked around longer, but others of us were obviously ready to go, so we headed out, thanking our guide for taking the time to show us around. I had seen a push mower across the way, and I figured he was going to get back to trimming the grass and taking care of everything. He had asked if we came in on the ship. He probably does not have many visitors just wander in off the street. Just like we don’t get to see something like that every day.

Just a few more views above before we leave. Actually, I have lots more photos that I did not share here. Maybe one of these days…

Before we found the cemetery, I was starting to think that we would not find the kind of “real” things that Laura and I like to see when we go exploring. But that was exactly what we were looking for, and it was a great find!

Check back soon for more from Day 3 in Cozumel on our 2022 Disney Cruise!