Above-ground tombs fill the one square block you face here, the oldest surviving cemetery in New Orleans, established in 1789. The above-ground tombs that fill this one square block are not a quirk of New Orleans culture but a necessity: the city sits below sea level on saturated Mississippi Delta soil, and coffins buried underground float to the surface. The solution, adopted from Spanish and Mediterranean practice, was to build tombs above ground — ranging from simple whitewashed brick vaults to elaborate marble monuments and the large wall vaults known as oven tombs, stacked four high along the cemetery perimeter.
The subtropical heat inside these brick tombs reduces a body to bones within a year, after which the remains can be swept into an interior ossuary and the tomb reused. Some family tombs have held dozens of generations. The most famous tomb is that of Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans who died in 1881 and drew devotees who still leave X marks on her tomb today.
Nicolas Cage purchased a plot here for himself while still living. This cemetery was used as a filming location for Easy Rider and Interview with the Vampire. Tours must be taken with a licensed guide; the cemetery requires accompaniment because of its history of vandalism and theft.