Gabriel García Márquez’s Ashes Buried in a Monastery in Cartagena, Colombia

A portion of Gabriel García Márquez’s ashes was buried in the Colombian city of Cartagena two years after his death. The remaining ashes remain in Mexico, the country where Márquez lived with his wife and where he ultimately passed away.

Gabriel García Márquez’s ashes were transferred to the city of Cartagena on the Colombian coast on Sunday (May 22 / Khordad 2) and buried there. Rosa Ida García Márquez, the 85-year-old sister of the renowned Colombian writer, spoke of “a pleasure tinged with sorrow” at a ceremony held in Cartagena for this occasion.

The ceremony, attended by the writer’s wife, relatives, friends, and a number of officials, was held in an ancient monastery near Márquez’s favorite residence. The monastery’s trees were decorated with large yellow butterflies, symbols of magical realism, for Sunday’s ceremony. All guests at the ceremony, numbering around 400 people, wore white clothing. Márquez’s relatives traveled from various parts of France and America to Colombia to attend the ceremony.

At the ceremony, Márquez’s two sons unveiled a bronze statue of their father, a work by British artist Kitty Morrey. Márquez’s ashes were buried inside the stone beneath this statue. Gonzalo García Barcha, Márquez’s son, told the French news agency that holding the ceremony and burying his father’s ashes in the city of Cartagena was an “honor” for the city. Gonzalo García Barcha is a designer and lives in Paris. Márquez’s other son, Rodrigo García Barcha, is a filmmaker and resident of America.

Edgar Para Chacón, president of Cartagena University, also spoke of the honor of burying “Gabo’s” ashes in the city’s ancient monastery. Gabo was the name by which the famous Colombian writer was called by his admirers and acquaintances. This monastery is located near Cartagena University.

Nevertheless, only a portion of Gabriel García Márquez’s ashes were transferred to and buried in Cartagena. The rest of his ashes remain in Mexico, where he had lived since 1980 and where he ultimately passed away in 2014.

There was never consensus on transferring a portion of Márquez’s ashes to Cartagena. Some favored burying his ashes in Aracataca, the village of his birth. Others favored the burial of all of Márquez’s ashes in Mexico, the country which they believed Márquez loved.

Gabriel García Márquez, who had battled cancer for several years prior, passed away on April 17, 2014, at the age of 87 in his home in Mexico City.

Gabriel García Márquez, born on March 6, 1927, in Colombia, was recognized in his homeland as an outstanding reporter and journalist, but achieved worldwide fame in 1967 with the publication of his novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude.”