↑ ↓ to move ↵ to open esc to close
    Crowded white mausoleums, crosses and statues in Mérida's Cementerio General, Yucatán

    Photo by eileenmak, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    The arched yellow entrance gate of the Cementerio General, Cementerio General de Mérida, Yucatán

    Photo by Inri, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

    The yellow monument to Felipe Carrillo Puerto inside the cemetery, Cementerio General de Mérida, Yucatán

    Photo by Inri, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Cementerio General de Mérida

    Landmark Mérida, Yucatán Municipality of Mérida Mérida and around

    Mérida's 200-year-old main cemetery: marble chapels, angels and the wall where Felipe Carrillo Puerto was shot, with free night tours.

    From Mérida: 5 min by car (3 km by road) How to get there ↓

    Near here

    See everything nearby ↓

    Plan your visit to Cementerio General de Mérida

    Where to stay near Cementerio General de Mérida

    Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Cementerio General de Mérida.

    Hotels in Cementerio General de Mérida Houses on Vrbo

    Tours to Cementerio General de Mérida

    Look for tours of the area around Motul that stop at Cementerio General de Mérida.

    Tours from Merida From Merida: Chichen Itza Tour, Izamal, Cenote Ik Kil and Food ★ 4.9 (578) · From US$74
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to Cementerio General de Mérida

    • From Mérida: about 5 min by road (~3 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mérida (MID), 47 min by car to Motul
    Rent a car at MID Flights to MID

    Route, map and directions ↓

    Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

    Tours from Merida, near Cementerio General de Mérida

    From Merida: Chichen Itza Tour, Izamal, Cenote Ik Kil and Food ★ 4.9 (578) 12 h From US$74
    Merida Walking Food Tour. Authentic & Local Cuisine ★ 4.9 (533) 3 h From US$71
    Merida Street Food Walking Tour ★ 4.9 (443) 3 h 30 min From US$80
    Chichen Itza, Private Cenote/Food Experience & the magic Izamal ★ 4.9 (416) 10 h From US$83
    Taste of the Yucatan: Merida Cooking Class and Market Visit ★ 4.9 (332) 5 h From US$108

    Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.

    About Cementerio General de Mérida

    The Cementerio General is Mérida's oldest working cemetery and one of the oldest in Mexico. It opened on 3 November 1821 on the land of the old hacienda San Antonio X-Coholté, a name usually glossed as 'place of owls' in Maya, beside what was then the Camino Real to Campeche. It lies on the south-west side of the historic center, around Calle 81-A and Calle 90, roughly 2.5 kilometers from Plaza Grande, and the city declared it part of its cultural heritage in 2013.

    More than 25,000 vaults, ossuaries and mausoleums fill its grid of lanes. Because each mausoleum belongs to a family, the styles follow two centuries of changing taste: neo-Gothic chapels, art deco tombs and even a small building in an Egyptian style covered with hieroglyphs. Among the pieces guides like to point out are the Medina family tomb, a miniature marble cathedral; the figures of the angel Azrael; a mournful statue known as the Dama Triste; and a colossal angel, the only one of its size here. Many tombs are in poor shape, since upkeep falls to the families and the city can only care for the common areas.

    The cemetery is also a place of Yucatán's political history. Felipe Carrillo Puerto, the socialist governor, was executed against its wall on 3 January 1924, and a monument and bust honor him near the spot; the Hemiciclo de los Socialistas Ilustres stands nearby. He, his sister the feminist Elvia Carrillo Puerto, the American journalist Alma Reed, the composer Ricardo Palmerín and the educator Consuelo Zavala are all buried here. The main arched gate is on Calle 90, and an older entrance with iron lettering, the Panteón Florido, is at Calle 66 and Calle 95. On 31 October each year the Paseo de las Ánimas, Mérida's Day of the Dead procession of painted 'souls', sets out from the cemetery toward the San Juan park.

    How to get to Cementerio General de Mérida

    Drive from Mérida: 5 min, 3 km

    The cemetery is on the south-west edge of Mérida's historic center, about 2.5 km from Plaza Grande, around Calle 81-A and Calle 90; there are entrances on Calle 90 (main gate), Calle 66 diagonal and Calle 76. By city bus, Va y Ven route 113 '66 Amapola' stops at Calle 69-A between 62 and 64, by the San Juan park, from where you can walk south.

    Directions to Cementerio General de Mérida on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

    Best with a guide Tours to Cementerio General de Mérida on Viator With transport and a guide, leaving from nearby towns and cities. See prices →

    Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

    From the nearest cities to Cementerio General de Mérida

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Cementerio General de Mérida: hours, prices and tips

    Hours
    Daily 8:00–17:00 for regular visits; night tours and festival openings run later. POSTA (Jan 2025) · checked Oct 2026
    Entry
    Free to enter; the city's guided night tours are free too. POSTA (Jan 2025) · checked Oct 2026
    Best season
    Festival de las Ánimas in late October: on 31 October the Paseo de las Ánimas leaves the cemetery at 8 pm, and the cemetery then stays open for night visits until about 10 pm. POSTA (Oct 2025) · checked Oct 2026
    Guide or tour
    The Mérida city tourism office runs free guided night tours on set dates at 8 pm, in Spanish and English, for up to 50 people; book on the Ayuntamiento's tourism page and arrive 20 minutes early. Tours: Viator GetYourGuide POSTA (Jan 2025) · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Cementerio General de Mérida: what to see and do

    Wander the lanes of mausoleums, from marble neo-Gothic chapels to art deco and Egyptian-style tombs.
    Find the Medina family tomb, a small marble cathedral, and the cemetery's colossal angel.
    Visit the monument to Felipe Carrillo Puerto by the wall where he was executed in 1924.
    Look for the graves of Alma Reed and Elvia Carrillo Puerto.
    Join one of the city's free guided night tours.
    On 31 October, watch the Paseo de las Ánimas leave the cemetery at 8 pm.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Cementerio General de Mérida

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Cementerio General de Mérida.

    See them all on Expedia Booking.com
    Vacation rentals on Vrbo Airbnb

    Tours & activities

    Look for tours of the area around Motul that stop at Cementerio General de Mérida.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at MID (Mérida): about 47 min by road to Motul, then 40 km more to Cementerio General de Mérida, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mérida (MID), about 47 min by road from Motul, the base for Cementerio General de Mérida.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    Medical and trip cover for Mexico, by the week or month.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Motul: download a map of the way to Cementerio General de Mérida before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

    Airalo

    Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

    Photos

    When to go to Cementerio General de Mérida warm

    Cementerio General de Mérida shares the climate of Motul, 40 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, November, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Motul

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Motul

    Convent church of San Juan Bautista beside the main square of Motul, Yucatán warm
    Yucatán Motul

    Motul is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Cementerio General de Mérida, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

    Also close to

    Closest to Cementerio General de Mérida

    Near Cementerio General de Mérida

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.