Cementerio

Otavalo


Each Monday and Thursday morning, groups of Otavaleños summit the Calle de las Almas (Street of Souls) to this hillside cemetery, sharing meals, songs, tears and prayers with relatives who've gone on to the next dimension. Vendors do a brisk business in flowers, fried fish and pork, and various other types of food and drink. The cemetery is quite basic – mainly plain white crosses or small graves with the names painted or scratched on.

Some locals and vendors are OK with photos, but remember to ask first. To get here, walk to the top of Bolívar and cross the Panamericana. At the blue church on the corner of Calle de las Almas, make a left.