The narcos of Mexico do things their own way – including burying their dead.

One of the cemeteries in the Sinaloa state capital, Culiacan, is the unofficial burying ground of the Sinaloa Cartel. And many of the cartel families build themselves rather showy shrines. 

 The cemetery is called Humaya Gardens and it can be seen from a distance. Many of the commemorative shrines are two- and three-stories tall. Some are built of marble and look like small cathedrals. Others are modernist. Nearly all have crosses or spires on top.

Many oddities surround the place. First off, it may not really be safe to go. The workers in the cemetery are certainly in the employ of narcos and likely tip them off to strangers. I went with two locals, who assured me it was all right, then confessed later that they were nervous. We did not linger. Secondly, some of the largest shrines bear no plaques. Family members do not want to reveal the names of the dead out of concern that rival narcos might come and destroy the shrine.

In fact, several shrines were pockmarked with bullet holes. Clearly, some narcos want to avenge their rivals even in the afterlife. 

 To describe some of the shrines as kitschy would be an understatement. Paintings of SpongeBob SquarePants decorated one mausoleum. Others had cartoon characters, like Tweety Bird and Barney. A few had stained glass with religious themes, and I saw one with etched glass containing an airplane design. The departed must have been a narco pilot. Nearly all the shrines seemed to receive daily care, containing fresh flowers and lit votive candles.

I was told some relatives bring bands in the evening hours to serenade the dead outside their shrines. Culiacan has some 135 private bands available for private performances. I saw one street in the city, where many of the bands have small offices and signs outside.

Most of the dead appeared to be between the ages of 20 and 40. Certainly most died in a blaze of gunfire. 

Yet at the time we visited, it was easy to forget the violence. Beautiful black olive, ficus, acacia and neem trees shaded the shrines, and birdsongs floated in the air.