El Campo Santo Cemetery

**Make sure to check out our list of Hidden Spots in Old Town for the ultimate day trip!**

About El Campo Santo Cemetery

If you want to really get a glimpse into the past, here is a good place to stop by. El Campo Santo Cemetery began its story in 1849. There are 477 bodies buried here and unfortunately not all of them retain their tomb. Take a look at the sidewalk and street directly outside for grave markers.

Yep, some of the graves are literally in the street! If that isn’t going to upset the spirits here, how about injustice and grave robbers!

During the falling of the Old Town period, the cemetery was abandoned and its brick chapel destroyed by fire. Just two years after the last body was buried here, a streetcar line was literally built through the graveyard, hence the reason for removing some of the tombstones.

While you’re in the area, make sure to check out the Whaley House nearby!

After repeated petitions to acknowledge the bodies that were buried beneath the street and sidewalk, white crosses were painted in their place.

This is sadly not the only cemetery in San Diego to be disrespected by the city.  Pioneer Park in Mission Hills still has all the bodies buried below the park with only a row of tombs at the very end. Meadowlark Memorial Pioneer Cemetery had an entire intersection built over it!

Haunted? 

The most widely seen apparitions in El Campo Santo cemetery are an Indian or Hispanic man in 19th century clothing. There is also a woman also dressed in period clothes. The man is said to float above the ground. Other paranormal reports have said that cars which are parked upon the graves will sometimes have their alarms go off, even though no one is in sight of the vehicle.

Make sure to check out the sidewalk and street immediately in front of the cemetery.  Some of the graves are buried here as well!  You can spot them from the grave markers:

They do a stunning display every year here for Old Town’s Dia de los Muertos celebration: