Colon Cemetery, Historical cemetery in Vedado, Cuba
Colón Cemetery is a burial ground in Vedado that spans a large area and houses over 500 mausoleums across its grounds. The structures blend different architectural styles, with Gothic towers standing beside Greek pavilions and Medieval castle-inspired tombs.
The cemetery was built starting in 1871 when the cornerstone was placed at the main entrance. It represented a major undertaking that evolved over many years as structures were added throughout the decades.
The cemetery is a Catholic burial ground where plots were assigned by social class, so priests, soldiers, brotherhoods, the wealthy, the poor, infants and epidemic victims lie in distinct areas. The Capilla del Amor was built by Juan Pedro Baró for his wife Catalina Laza. Symbols such as inverted torches, laurel branches, hourglasses and winged angels recur on the tombs.
The cemetery is located at the intersection of Calle Zapata and Calle 12 in the Vedado neighborhood and opens during daylight hours. Visitors should expect pathways and walkways running between the various mausoleums across the grounds.
The cemetery's layout follows a Roman military camp plan, with five crosses formed by perpendicular intersecting streets. Its two main avenues create a central cross, and the four resulting quarters are each split by two more streets meeting at right angles. The octagonal Capilla Central, modelled on Florence's Il Duomo, sits at the main intersection.
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