Train Graveyard in Bolivia

The train graveyard is located about 3 km outside the trading town of Uyuni, in the south western part of the Latin American country Bolivia. Years ago Uyuni was an important transport junction, connecting major key cities. 

Construction on the network commenced in 1888. Aniceto Arce, Bolivian President, encouraged this project, believing that his country would flourish with a very good transport system. Nevertheless it was sabotaged by the local Aymara indigenous Indians because they believed that it intruded their daily lives. 

The mining companies mainly used these trains; nonetheless in the 1940s many trains were abandoned because of the collapse of the mining industry, partly due to the mineral depletion, hence creating the train cemetery.   

Colourful Cemetery

Death is a topic that many do not want to talk about, maybe because we do not know much about it, most of us if not all are even scared of it. But many cultures celebrate it and even look towards it, since it is the portal to the after life, as Plato put it 'The World of Ideas'. The Egyptians built enormous pyramids with outstanding hieroglyphs to celebrate the afterlife and prepare the deceased.

The colourful cemetery in Chichicastenango, Guatemala is another example of celebrating life, making it probably the only cemetery which one would be interested to visit.