While in New Orleans, I visited St. Louis Cemetery #1, which has the famous tomb of Marie Laveau. This photo, from the Spellmaker website, shows what the tomb looked like for a long time.
Last December, someone painted the tomb pink. He may have thought he was doing a good thing by covering the marks, but unfortunately the latex paint would cause more damage to the tomb. It was power washed, not the best way to remove paint from an old structure, but perhaps better than leaving the latex paint on it any longer.
The above photo is from the Archdiocese paper, Clarion Herald, with an article that said marking the tomb with Xs started in the 1930s, as earlier photos do not show any markings. Now the tomb has a new layer of plaster, but people have already begun marking it. By the color of some, it looks like lipstick or nail polish, not great for conservation, either. Since 2005, it has been illegal to mark tombs in St. Louis #1.
Two other tombs in the cemetery have markings and gifts left on them. My tour guide said this one (below) is the tomb of Marie Laveau’s daughter, Marie II, who took over as the Queen of Voodoo upon her mother’s death.
Here is another marked tomb, also believed to be the resting place of a powerful Voodoo practitioner.
Tombs are cared for by the individual families, and many are well-maintained and still in use. Others are deteriorating. In some cases, families pay a fee for perpetual care, which means the Archdiocese will take care of maintenance. If a neglected tomb falls down, the plot can be sold for a new tomb. Another thing that can happen is a tomb sinking down into the soft ground. This one has part of the inscription below ground level.
Only the top of this tomb is visible. To stop a tomb sinking, it has to be lifted and a solid base put underneath it. You can imagine how expensive that must be!
Ancestors are important in Voodoo, and cemeteries are one way to remember them. When you visit a cemetery, whether you have relatives there or not, please do your best to leave it better than you found it.
Love, Khouzhan Lucy
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