The Cemeteries of New Orleans: Preventing the City’s Carcasses and Cultural Roots From Being Swept Away
“There is something musical about the Cemeteries of New Orleans.” -Danny Barker
The aboveground tombs of New Orleans have long been the source of much attention. One of the main focuses is determining what in particular caused the development of these peculiar internments. Through research and personal experiences, it has become my belief that the current state of any object within New Orleans cannot be definitively attributed to any single source of inspiration.
Environmental Challenges
Because of the below sea level of New Orleans, and its placement in a seasonal flood plain, traditional underground burials that are characteristic of the rest of the United States simply do not work in this location. Not only was it difficult to place a casket in the ground, but once covered, the burials typically were not as permanent as the grave diggers or the citizens intended them to be. Elevated stone containers prevent the tides from digging up wooden caskets buried in the ground.
Governmental Burial Regulations and Recurring Epidemics
As the growing population began to encroach on the once distant cemeteries, limited space and concerns for public health signaled the requirement for the continued movement of cemeteries to even further out locations. Residents, who preferred burials with their ancestors, refused. In response, the government only allowed burials within the city limits if they were secure and elevated.
Dominant European Countries of Origin
It is argued that the aboveground internments, that are commonly used among Mediterranean cultures, are merely a continuation of this tradition by immigrants from these countries.
Regradless, to this day, the residents of New Orleans maintain a very much alive connection to the city’s past as well as to the city’s cemeteries. This is epitomized by the annual All Saints Day celebration in which Catholics honor his or her deceased ancestors by doing any necessary repairs to the tomb structures and decorating the cemetery with lively spring flowers.
Interpretations 
The now critically damaged New Orleans economy depends almost entirely on the tourism industry, of which the cemeteries are one of the most lucrative and convincing attractions.
The visually remarkable cemeteries not only serve as attractive documentation of past events, relevant only to academic historians, but also serve as a symbol to the residents of the city’s historical ability thus far to resist external forces, whether they be cultural or environmental. It is debatable if this reminder is one of actual beneficial hope, or false confidence that only hampers the residents’ abilities to see the clear warning in the past trends, holding them, like the towering tombs, strapped to the sinking land.