Safe Luxury

What is this type of cemetery called?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rrdphoto/1341201833/ This is the typical norm for burial ground i Puerto Rico. However the grave isnt an actual undergruond covered with dirt type of thing it is a very large vault in which more than one body may be placed if need be depending on the different sizes. It is made out of solid concrete and there is a large concrete lid at the top which is opened wither for the burial or an exhumation. My great grandmother was buried in one of the vault like burial ground this past junes and since then I have always wanted to know what kind of cemetery this is reffered to.

Public Comments

1. The cemeteries in most of New Orleans Louisiana are built with vaults above ground in a similar way because of the water level. Depending on the soil and ground water levels, a buried coffin might be washed away in a flood, while an above ground vault or a larger toumb our family crypt above ground would keep the remains more "safe", so I've heard from those in New Orleans. The pic you show from PR looks like the graveyard is close to the water, so that may be the reason. A graveyard on rocky ground would need above ground vaults just as well. I've also heard that use above ground crypts so they can be "reused" by other family members. I tried researching burial practices years ago and never could get a solid answer about above-ground tombs then either. This just seems like the most logical reason. Of course tradition isn't always based on logic.... ;-)