Cementerio Municipal de Mayagüez

The Cementerio Municipal de Mayagüez, also known as Cementerio Viejo, was constructed in 1876 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. It was designed by the municipal architect Félix Vidal d’Ors following the master plan for the city from 1804.^[2] The outskirts of the cemetery are defined by brick walls and niches, the area is divided by two streets that intersect.^[2] Following an 1872 law the cemetery provided separated areas intended for non-Catholics and for the poor, located in the east.

Cementerio Municipal de Mayagüez
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Puerto Rico Historic Sites and Zones
Location	Southern end of Post Street, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Coordinates	18°11′28″N 67°08′31″W
Area	5.3 acres (2.1 ha)
Built	1876
Architect	Vidal D'Ors, D. Felipe; Puig, Juan Jose
Architectural style	Classical Revival
MPS	Cemeteries in Puerto Rico, 1804–1920 MPS
NRHP reference No.	88001247[1]
RNSZH No.	2000-(RO)-19-JP-SH
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	August 25, 1988
Designated RNSZH	December 21, 2000

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 and on the Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones in 2000.^[3] The listing includes two contributing buildings, one contributing site, and five other contributing structures.^[1] It is one of the most elegant and carefully designed cemeteries on the island.^[4][5]

Notable interments

• Tulio Larrínaga, former Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1905 – 1911
• Alicia Moreda, actress/comedian^[6]
• Juan Mari Bras, founder of the Movimiento Pro Independencia and the modern Puerto Rican Socialist Party^[6]
• María Luisa Arcelay, educator, businesswoman and politician^[6]
• Mon Rivera musician
• Juancho Bascarán, mayor of Las Marias, fought in the Spanish–American War^[6]
• Mariano Riera Palmer, mayor of Mayaguez^[6]
• Pedro Juan Rúa Rullán, influential author and college professor and grandson of former Mayagüez mayor Juan Rullán Rivera^[7]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. "Arquitectura: Cementerio Municipal Viejo" (in Spanish). Mayagüez Sabe a Mango. December 16, 2010. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
3. GOBIERNO DE PUERTO RICO, JUNTA DE PLANIFICACIÓN DE PUERTO RICO (December 7, 2022). "REGISTRO DE PROPIEDADES DESIGNADAS POR LA JUNTA DE PLANIFICACIÓN DE PUERTO RICO" (PDF). jp.pr.gov.
4. Marta Cruz Casse, with State Historic Preservation Office (March 1988). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Cementerio Municipal de Mayagüez / Cementerio Viejo". National Park Service.
5. Accompanying 19 photos by Jorge Rigau and Felix J. del Campo, from 1988 and 1985
6. Gill, Millie (January 2011). "Cementerio Viejo de Mayagüez se convierte en destino turístico" (in Spanish). Mayaguez Sabe a Mango. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
7. "Fallece recordado profesor universitario Pedro Juan Rúa Rullán". 13 August 2020.

• Puerto Rico portal

External links

• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cementerio Municipal de Mayagüez