Av. Independencia cemetery tour

Dolores1

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May 3, 2000
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On occasion of International Museum Day, the city government of Santo Domingo is hosting a guided tour of the Av. Independencia cemetery. This cemetery is normally closed to the general public. It is known to have lovely mausoleums aside from being the burial grounds for important people, including foreigners, who died in the DR prior to the opening of the Av. Maximo Gomez cemetery in 1942. Take note the Av. Independencia cemetery dates back to 1824.
It is the only Dominican cemetery to have been divided in three areas by religion: one for Catholics, another for Muslims and another for Jews.
Those that can should not miss participating in the guided tour by Eulalia Flores on Wednesday, 18 May 2016 from 5 to 7pm.
 

AlterEgo

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I wish we were in DR, we'd definitely go to this tour. My husband's ancestors all lived in San Carlos in the 1800s, they have to be buried there. Would love to wander and read the headstones and take photos.
 

Dolores1

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May 3, 2000
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I plan to go. What names should I look for. If I see them will take photos.

The good news is that there is a plan to open the cemetery for visits. To make it a tourist attraction in the future.
 

AlterEgo

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I plan to go. What names should I look for. If I see them will take photos.

The good news is that there is a plan to open the cemetery for visits. To make it a tourist attraction in the future.

Thank you! Any of these:

Isidro Gonzalez Martinez & wife Maria Manuela Ruiz Lapuente

Manuel Gonzalez Gonzalez & wives Paula Martinez de Luyando de Mota Alonso & Florentina Piantini Matos

Manuel de la cruz Piantini Garcia

Secundino Piantini Blanchard

Jose Eugenio Piantini
 

mobrouser

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Jan 1, 2002
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I plan to go. What names should I look for. If I see them will take photos.

The good news is that there is a plan to open the cemetery for visits. To make it a tourist attraction in the future.

I would love to see some photos from the tour, even if you don't manage to spot AE's family.
 

Chirimoya

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A photo a friend and onetime DR1er took there about 10 years ago showed a tombstone with a telephone attached.
 

AlterEgo

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I'm afraid I answered Dolores too late today, we were tied up for a few hours with an inspection on a new home we're buying :(

If it does open to the public one day, we'll have to go there
 

RG84

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May 21, 2010
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If this is the one across from Edeste, I've been in there before, didn't know it was closed to the public. Walked by there yesterday and saw the crowd, cameras and wondered what was going on. Now I know it was a tour.


Side note: What is the right why to say across from: enfrente (which I thought meant in front of) or a traves?
 

Dolores1

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May 3, 2000
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Looked and looked for your relatives and did not find any tomb. Would say most of the tombs are unmarked now.
Found out a section of the cemetery was leased to the British Consulate for burials. And another section for Jewish burials, separate from the Catholic burials area. The British and Jewish are much simpler tombs.
Also found out the cemetery is open to the public. When we went the grass had recently been cut… the Roberto Salcedo city government has been criticised for abandoning public cemeteries, leaving the way open for people to pay for burials in the private cemeteries. But the walk was lovely. The guide, Eulalia Flores pointed out several of the interesting tombs, including that of Emilio Prud'homme and Jose Reyes, responsible for the music and lyrics of the National Anthem. There are several love stories, tombs dedicated to infants and small children, tomb dedicated to the unnamed victims of Hurricane San Zenon in 1930 and an area dedicated to the victims of the Civil War. While the cemetery was closed in 1943, during the Civil War of 1965 several were buried there because the fight was in that area. I took photos… will post here.
 

AlterEgo

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Thank you for trying Dolores, were there other 'private' cemeteries in Santo Domingo from 1800s into early/mid 1900s? Were people ever buried on their fincas in Santo Domingo?

I'm looking forward to seeing the photos.
 

Dolores1

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May 3, 2000
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During the tour learned that there is a private Jewish cemetery near the Av. Maximo Gomez cemetery. But it is closed to the general public.
 

AlterEgo

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During the tour learned that there is a private Jewish cemetery near the Av. Maximo Gomez cemetery. But it is closed to the general public.

I've heard that the Maximo Gomez cemetery has become a dangerous place. My sister-in-law won't go to her mother's grave any more, so sad.