Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
A skeleton on display contemplating its own mortality.
Kid Mai Death Awareness Cafe
This classic London pub has a surprising history behind it.
John Snow
The beef, Guinness, and oyster pie sports a rich, flaky crust.
The Guinea
Welcome to one of the only floating pubs in the world.
Tamesis Dock
This may be the oldest pie in the world.
St Helens 'Oldest Pie' at The Turks Head
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
12 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
16 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
23 days ago
“There may be a collective sense of a dark loneliness,” Dahl says, referring to Norway’s natural landscape.
In Norway, Easter Means Tucking Into Crime Stories
23 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Mexico Guanajuato House of Laments

House of Laments

Kitschy horror displays now fill the house where some very real serial killing took place.

Guanajuato, Mexico

Added By
kaila
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
House of Laments   Goggle Maps / Map Data 2015
House of Laments   Goggle Maps / Map Data 2015
House of Laments   House of Laments Official Facebook Page
House of Laments   House of Laments Official Facebook Page
House of Laments   Official Facebook Page
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

After his wife Constanza died in an assault, Tadeo Mejía became unhinged. In the 1890s, his delusional attempts to contact his dead spouse lead to a murderous spree. It’s said that the groans and shrieks of Mejía’s victims still echo through the mansion where his sinister deeds were carried out.

Today the Casa de los Lamentos, or "House of Laments," is a kitschy museum that can be toured by daring tourists. Since acting as Mejía’s bloody residence, the house has been subject to tales of haunting by subsequent tenants. Reports of lingering wails and the cries of Mejía’s victims have lent the house its descriptive name. Once inside, dioramas depicting Mejía surrounded by skulls, chains, and implements of black magic give visitors a morbid greeting. Perhaps as unsettling are the displays that focus on his lost relationship, with shelves of crockery from the 19th century alongside framed photographs of Mejía and his lost Constanza.

The local legend relates that Mejía suffered from psychosis in the wake of his wife’s death, and would stop at nothing to be reunited with her. He consulted a witch, who instructed him in bizarre, ghastly rituals of human sacrifice — all in an attempt to contact Constanza.

It’s unknown how many murders Mejía went on to commit, but several human remains were discovered in the house’s basement, along with Satanic imagery. Mejía eventually killed himself, taking the knowledge of how many lives he truly claimed to the grave.

Related Tags

Museums Murder Haunted Mexico Witchcraft Black Magic
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Yucatan: Astronomy, Pyramids & Mayan Legends

Mayan legends, ancient craters, lost cities, and stunning constellations.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

kaila

Edited By

EricGrundhauser

  • EricGrundhauser

Published

March 24, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://strangeusa.com/ViewLocation.aspx?id=94333&Description=_Casa_de_los_Lamentos_(House_of_Laments)__Guanajuato__GUANAJUATO
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Laments
  • http://www.dailydot.com/technology/haunted-google-street-view/
House of Laments
A Dolores Hidalgo 7
Guanajuato, 36240
Mexico
21.03777, -101.256051
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Hacienda del Cochero

Guanajuato, Mexico

miles away

Hotel Castillo Santa Cecilia

Guanajuato, Mexico

miles away

Museo de las Momias de Guanajuato

Guanajuato, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Guanajuato

Guanajuato

Mexico

Places 9

Nearby Places

Hacienda del Cochero

Guanajuato, Mexico

miles away

Hotel Castillo Santa Cecilia

Guanajuato, Mexico

miles away

Museo de las Momias de Guanajuato

Guanajuato, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Guanajuato

Guanajuato

Mexico

Places 9

Related Stories and Lists

33 Places Famous for the Scandals That Occurred There

List

By Molly McBride Jacobson

Related Places

  • The Zalud house

    Porterville, California

    Zalud House

    The Zalud family experienced a number of tragedies in one decade, giving rise to rumors that the 19th century house is haunted.

  • Witch Board Museum Baltimore

    Baltimore, Maryland

    Witch Board Museum Baltimore

    This small museum celebrates the history of the Ouija board and its connection to the city of Baltimore.

  • Funeral home artifacts, “haunted” dolls, and weird medicine are just a few of the hundreds of items at the American Oddities Museum.

    Alton, Illinois

    American Oddities Museum

    A taxidermy “mermaid,” vampire-killing kits, and hundreds of other bizarre objects are housed at this quirky museum.

  • John Spicer’s confession, displayed in the Fountain Valley Historical Society museum

    Fountain, Colorado

    John Spicer's Confession

    The resolution to a case that had gone cold for 120 years, found on an old piece of wood.

  • Køge, Denmark

    Køge Huskors Memorial

    This marker commemorates a long-lasting historical haunting and demonic possession that led to one of Denmark's worst witch trials.

  • Quaint, cosy, and possibly haunted.

    Colnbrook, England

    The Ostrich Inn

    One of England’s oldest and most haunted inns may have inspired the legend of Sweeney Todd.

  • The two-story museum has over 3000 haunted objects.

    Omaha, Nebraska

    The Museum of Shadows

    Haunted dolls, macabre artifacts, and more make up the collection of the “most haunted museum in the world.”

  • Glasgow, Scotland

    The Witch's Skull

    One of the city's oldest pubs displays a skull said to belong to the country's last witch burned at the stake.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.