Blindfolded tourists walk through El Tejar cemetery, in downtown Quito, Ecuador, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019. They鈥檙e there to get a taste of death while still alive, spending part of the night in a dark crypt at the El Tejar cemetery, the latest example of the so-called 鈥渘ecro tourism鈥� trend luring those with a keenness for the macabre. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
QUITO, Ecuador 鈥� It鈥檚 a chilly night in Ecuador鈥檚 capital and the small group of men and women visiting the city鈥檚 oldest cemetery are understandably nervous.
Led by guides in black hooded capes, they navigate a maze of crypts as voices call out existential questions into the night.
鈥淲hat are you doing so that someone remembers you after you鈥檝e died?鈥� one asks. 鈥淲hat are you doing so that you鈥檙e not forgotten?鈥�
They鈥檙e there to get a taste of death while still alive 鈥� spending part of the night in a dark crypt at the El Tejar cemetery, the latest example of the so-called 鈥渘ecro tourism鈥� trend luring those with a keenness for the macabre.
鈥淭he idea is to make people reflect,鈥� says Alexandra Ortega, director of Quito Post Mortem, the company that arranges the graveyard tours. 鈥淚n cemeteries, life and death can be found. Life is ephemeral and death the only certainty.鈥�
Latin America has long harbored a mystical, up front fascination with death. Few visits to Buenos Aires are considered complete without a visit to the Recoleta cemetery where luminaries like iconic former First Lady Eva Per贸n are buried. Mexico鈥檚 Day of the Dead pays homage to the deceased with festive foods and decorative skulls.
鈥淒eath is very much present in the Latin American sensibility,鈥� said Peter Sanipat铆n, a psychologist in Ecuador. 鈥淭hese activities allow us to confront an imaginary death and come out triumphant, at least for the moment.鈥�
In many cities across the globe, tourism groups have begun encouraging visitors to take a step toward the dark side as an opportunity to reflect on the past and the very nature of humanity.
鈥淚magining that situation helps us confront something that scares us,鈥� Nathan Digby, a philosophy and religion professor, said of the surge in cemetery tours.
The idea for Ecuador鈥檚 nighttime cemetery visits arose as Ortega was investigating out of the box tour ideas for her tourism studies thesis. As a twist, she decided guests would be completely blindfolded and spend time lying inside a crypt.
鈥淒oing it blindfolded intensifies the experience,鈥� she said.
On a recent evening, 13 visitors ventured into the cemetery, which is filled with blocks of tombs stacked four or more levels high. Amid the graveyard silence, guides asked questions and made nerve-rattling sounds by clashing metal objects.
One young woman who is part of the tour company touched guests on the arm and begged not to be left alone as they entered an underground crypt.
Then the thrill-seekers were led into empty cement niches where caskets are typically placed and asked to think about what their relatives would say on the day of their funeral.
One woman panicked, refused to participate and left the group.
But others said they found it to be a nearly meditative experience.
鈥淚 reflected on death,鈥� said Stalin Caiza, 23, who left with tears in his eyes. 鈥淎s they say, we are made of dust and will return to dust.鈥� /jpv