Mexico City National Cemetery
The Mexico City National Cemetery is a cemetery in Mexico City. It was established in 1851 by the United States Congress to gather the American dead of the Mexican-American War that lay in the nearby fields and to provide burial space for Americans who died in the vicinity. A small monument marks the common grave of 750 unidentified American dead of the War of 1847. Inscribed on the monument are the words:
- TO THE HONORED MEMORY
- OF 750 AMERICANS
- KNOWN BUT TO GOD
- WHOSE BONES COLLECTED
- BY THEIR COUNTRY'S ORDER
- ARE HERE BURIED
In this 1-acre (4,000 m2) area are also placed 813 remains of Americans and others in wall crypts on either side of the cemetery. The cemetery was closed to further burials in 1923.
The cemetery, which is administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission, is open daily to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except December 25 and January 1. It is open on host country holidays. When the cemetery is open to the public, a staff member is on duty in the Visitor Building to answer questions and escort relatives to grave and memorial sites.
Location
Mexico City National Cemetery is at 31 Virginia Fabregas, Colonia San Rafael about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the Metropolitan Cathedral and about 1-mile (1.6 km) north of the U.S. Embassy.
Notable burials
- Henry Watkins Allen (1820–1866), Confederates States Brigadier General and Governor of Louisiana, later disinterred and buried in Louisiana[1]
- James E. Slaughter (1827–1901), Confederate States Brigadier General[2]
References
- Sledge, Michael (2005). Soldier Dead: How We Recover, Identify, Bury, and Honor Our Military Fallen. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 200. ISBN 9780231509374. OCLC 60527603.
External links
- American Battle Monuments Commission – Mexico City National Cemetery
- Mexico City National Cemetery at Find a Grave
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "Mexico City National Cemetery, American Battle Monuments Commission".
Coordinates: 19°26′34″N 99°9′56″W / 19.44278°N 99.16556°W