Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Crypt Cleaners in Guatemala Part II

In Guatemala, if a lease on a grave has expired or not been paid, grave cleaners will break open the crypts to remove and rebury the bodies. Any remains that have not been claimed are packed into plastic bags, labeled and stored in mass graves. Bodies that have been stored in the upper crypt are exposed to dry and sunny conditions which means they do not decompose and instead become mummified. 
















All photos credit to Jorge Dan Lopez/Reuters


You can find Part I here or 
Disinterred Graves in Guatemala here