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All the United States Arizona Tempe Guadalupe Cemetery
AO Edited

Guadalupe Cemetery

A colorful, century-old cemetery of the Yaqui Indian Tribe hidden amid the suburban sprawl of Tempe, Arizona.

Tempe, Arizona

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ShelleyMingo
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Guadalupe Cemetery in Tempe, Arizona.   ShelleyMingo / Atlas Obscura User
Guadalupe Cemetery in Tempe, Arizona.   ShelleyMingo / Atlas Obscura User
Cemetery overview   Skunkapeoffroad / Atlas Obscura User
  Skunkapeoffroad / Atlas Obscura User
Dia de Los Muertos mural   Skunkapeoffroad / Atlas Obscura User
  Skunkapeoffroad / Atlas Obscura User
Nice murals   stevensea12 / Atlas Obscura User
Love the personalization.   stevensea12 / Atlas Obscura User
Fire Fighter   stevensea12 / Atlas Obscura User
Very nice mural.   stevensea12 / Atlas Obscura User
This has to be a very old Grace l grave. There are not a lot of those rocks in the area.   stevensea12 / Atlas Obscura User
  stevensea12 / Atlas Obscura User
  m8nbmjhhdd / Atlas Obscura User
  cindy4tom / Atlas Obscura User
  cindy4tom / Atlas Obscura User
  cindy4tom / Atlas Obscura User
Guadalupe Cemetery in Tempe, Arizona   ShelleyMingo / Atlas Obscura User
One of several murals in the cemetery.   ShelleyMingo / Atlas Obscura User
Burial mounds adorned by relatives of the deceased.   ShelleyMingo / Atlas Obscura User
Guadalupe Cemetery in Tempe, Arizona   ShelleyMingo / Atlas Obscura User
Guadalupe Cemetery in Tempe, Arizona   ShelleyMingo / Atlas Obscura User
Guadalupe Cemetery in Tempe, Arizona.   ShelleyMingo / Atlas Obscura User
Guadalupe Cemetery in Tempe, Arizona.   ShelleyMingo / Atlas Obscura User
Note the rooftops of the housing development behind the cemetery wall.   ShelleyMingo / Atlas Obscura User
Many graves have personal possessions of the dead, left by loved ones.   ShelleyMingo / Atlas Obscura User
Guadalupe Cemetery in Tempe, Arizona.   ShelleyMingo / Atlas Obscura User
Gates of the cemetery, off a side street in suburban Tempe.   ShelleyMingo / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Hidden in modern suburbia, the historic Guadalupe Cemetery dates to 1904, around the time the first Yaqui Indians settled in the area. These gravesites tell stories through tributes and personal possessions left by loved ones. Many burst with colors, including flowers and other adornments. Burial mounds sit between a few mesquite trees and under brightly painted murals. 

Due to unrest in their ancestral home in Mexico, the Yaqui established a church and graveyard on this site as their first settlement. However, after disputes over water rights, the settlement was moved to what is now the town of Guadalupe, about a mile and a half to the southwest. But the cemetery remained at the original site, and Guadalupe has buried its deceased at this site for over 100 years. Today, Guadalupe is home to more than 5,000 residents, mostly descendants of the Yaqui.

In the early 1980s, the suburban sprawl of metro Phoenix reached this area of Tempe. Replacing farmland, housing developers completely surrounded the cemetery with contemporary ranch homes with lush lawns, creating a strange juxtaposition with the cemetery.  

The original church at the cemetery is no longer standing, but the impressive Our Lady of Guadalupe Church is worth a visit. About two miles from the cemetery, the church was built in 1914 and is the centerpiece of the town square.

Related Tags

Cemeteries History & Culture Burial Places

Know Before You Go

The cemetery is open from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm and is still an active burial site, with many festivities on the Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead on Nov. 1 and 2). The cemetery is at 4649 S Beck Ave, Tempe, AZ 85282, but has no markers or signs until you reach the gates of the property. 

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ShelleyMingo

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cindy4tom, m8nbmjhhdd, stevensea12, kjkca76...

  • cindy4tom
  • m8nbmjhhdd
  • stevensea12
  • kjkca76
  • Skunkapeoffroad
  • mrsjuiceplus

Published

July 22, 2021

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Sources
  • https://www.guadalupeaz.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif6711/f/uploads/guadalupes_buried_past.pdf
Guadalupe Cemetery
4649 S Beck Ave
Tempe, Arizona, 85282
United States
33.382434, -111.955731
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