Life at the cemetery: 13 photos

Manila is the capital of the Philippines and the most densely populated city on the island of Luzon. This city makes the most unpleasant first impression, and the more you delve into its history and atmosphere, the more creepy it becomes. One of the most frightening places in Manila is the city cemetery, where hundreds of living people have settled. It is this place that will be discussed in this selection...

11 PHOTOS

1. Few of the residents of Manila were lucky enough to live in a normal apartments with good conditions. Manila is a noisy and crowded city with a population of more than 10 million. человек This city is considered the eleventh-largest and fifth-largest metropolis in the world.

2. Some of them built their homes right on the Northern City Cemetery... This place is considered the oldest and largest cemetery in the whole city with an area of about 54 hectares. By the end of the circumstances, it provides a haven not only for those who left this world a long time ago but also for people who are alive and well, who simply have nowhere else to go.

3. Shacks made of wood and other rubbish were built directly on the tombs of the deceased. Stone sarcophagi inside the vaults serve as beds, residents get electricity from neighboring streets, and drinking water is obtained from wells dug around the cemetery. Small children run around the grave, and adults watch movies, wash and cook food. Everything is exactly like in an ordinary apartment house...

4. In fact, this cemetery is a thriving city hidden from prying eyes with an extensively developed "infrastructure" and well-established routes of alleys, along which compactly built tombs and crypts, serve as someone's family homes. People here live an ordinary life with the exception of one "NO": they eat on graves, sleep on graves, and play cards on graves.

5. The cemetery is fully equipped by the residents themselves and houses everything necessary for life: basketball courts, cigarette stands, fast food, and shops with various small things necessary for everyday life, as well as funeral props.

6. In addition, there are restaurants, Internet cafes, and even karaoke in the "town"! True, the Filipinos did not open bars here. Apparently, they still observe the limits of decency established by the place where they live. After all, no matter what, the cemetery still functions as if nothing had happened, despite the people living on its territory. Up to 80 funerals take place here every day, during which people add more and more new vaults and graves.

7. Nevertheless, for many residents, the cemetery became not only a place of residence but also a place of work. Teenagers help carry the mounds for 50 pesos (this is equal to approximately 50 American cents), and children collect garbage, plastic, and other small things to sell them later. Men here can work as taxi drivers on their tricycles.

8. In addition to this, the locals are also engaged in cleaning the graves, taking care of them, keeping them clean, and also protect them from robbers, who are not averse to stealing something valuable from the tombs or simply destroying the prepared decorations. Someone works here as a hearse driver, someone digs graves, and someone looks after the mausoleums of richer neighbors. No one is peeing! There are also clothiers who come to residents and teachers, doctors, seamstresses, and even manicure specialists.

9. Now it is quite difficult to understand when the first people settled in this cemetery and who they were. Those who moved here in the 1950s say that by that time, quite a lot of people already lived here.

10. However, it is known that the largest increase in population took place in the 1990s during urbanization. At that time, a huge number of migrants moved and filled the population in big cities. As of 2012, the number of people living in the Manila cemetery was about 6,000 people. It is quite difficult to conduct a population census here, as the people living here are not registered in any way and, accordingly, do not have any documents.

11. Nevertheless, the people living here call themselves absolutely happy and that's how they feel. Yes, that's how, living in a cemetery, and having nothing to worry about except family and no "roof" over the head, people manage to be grateful and not complain about anything.