Romerillo Cemetery – the isolated Maya cemetery distinguished by its towering, colorful wooden crosses.

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2 days ago Ivan

We are halfway between the main tourist hotspot of Chiapas, San Cristobal de las Casas, and the major town of Tenejapa, in Southern Mexico, where a traditional cemetery in a small Maya community stands out by the 22 giant, colorful wooden crosses that crown its quaint hilltop location.
Romerillo is a tiny hamlet with an impressive cemetery, and its stand of turquoise blue Maya crosses carved with ancient symbols are sentries, erect on the crest of the hill.
Tethered sheep graze at the base.

The crosses are of the typical Chiapas Maya style, characterized by the use of turquoise, teal, and blue colors, as well as their round ends, and represent the 22 communities that are allowed to bury their dead here.
As part of the local beliefs, attached to the crosses are branches of pine that are left to wilt and then replaced, and also pine needles, locally known as juncia, are spread along the ground. They represent infinity, too numerous to count.
The blue and green crosses are symbols, too, portals of entry for contact with the ancestors. Mayans believe the deads are guides and give them counsel in their problems when asked, and blue and its nuances is significant throughout the Maya world.
Interestingly, cement and more permanent building materials are forbidden in the cemetery as it is considered that wood represents equality in death, regardless of conditions in life and, even outside the dates of the traditional Day of the Dead holiday, the tombs are adorned with marigolds with locals that wander the hill and pay visits to friends and relatives buried there along with shepherds and their livestock that graze in the cemetery.

The cemetery is on a hill, open to the public, and consists of shallow raised tombs and wooden markers.