44 ^ YEAR OF COSTA RICAN NATURAL HISTORY 



sold as healing relics, the stone miraculously lifting itself up 

 and growing whole again overnight. The round stone is 

 of the black volcanic rock so common about Cartago — the 

 inference as to the origin of the fragments is obvious. 



At the western end of the village of Guadalupe, west of 

 Cartago, stood the very picturesque church of Guadalupe, 

 shaded by a magnificent higueron and across the street was 

 the Panteon or cemetery. The latter was surrounded by a 

 high, thick wall containing many niches each of a size to 

 hold one coffin, which was hoisted into place by a big travel- 

 ing crane. When a body was put into one of these spaces 

 the end was sealed and ornamented with the name and date, 

 done in various styles, — black and gold, plain marble, sky- 

 blue with bright sprays of posies, or whatever the taste of 

 the mourners dictated. There the coffin remained as long 

 as the rent was paid, but it was removed to some general 

 unmarked grave as soon as the payments ceased. In addi- 

 tion to the tiers of niches in the wall there were a number 

 of isolated vaults at the ground level, or groups of three or 

 four, and some monuments and life-size carved statues. 

 A few trees were planted, among them junipers trimmed 

 into ghastly likenesses of crosses, crowns, etc., but there was 

 nothing — in this land of flowers! — approaching a garden 

 effect. The lower part where the poor were buried was the 

 most desolate spot imaginable — bare ground, jagged holes 

 half full of water, new mounds all unmarked, irregular, 

 loosely filled in, with here and there a wooden cross all aslant 

 or a feeble attempt at a flower. The people do not seem to 

 object or they would change it of course, but it looked 

 dreary in a country where trees and flowers run riot if given 

 a chance. On All Saints' Day we walked out to the Pan- 

 teon to see if there was any particular decoration in honor 

 of the day. Some of the tombs had fresh wreaths and gar- 

 lands, some of fresh flowers, some artificial, and others of 



