Cementerios, tumbas y sepulturas

This text outlines the history of human burial, tracing the path from the earliest archaeological traces to the necropolises of the Roman Empire. It also explores the—at times unsettling—fascination that cemeteries and funerary practices hold for both anthropologists and tourists. It recounts some of the countless cultural and religious burial customs that have emerged across the globe and, finally, addresses the vast number of deaths in the modern era, the political role the dead have played for the living in consolidating power dynamics, and the significance of communities defined by the dead they commemorate. In observing cemeteries, we join a fundamental tradition of exploring what it means to be human, reflecting on the significance of the dead to us, how they live on in our memories, and the best way to leave our own brief mark on the world. We have done so since time immemorial—even before we were fully human.