Morne-à-l’Eau Cemetery: Black-and-White Tiled Tombs

The Morne-à-l’Eau Cemetery occupies a hillside in the town of Morne-à-l’Eau on Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe. Established in 1847, its family burial vaults are arranged in terraces across a natural amphitheater. Many resemble small houses, with porches, pitched roofs, gates, and walls covered in ceramic tile.

The cemetery is best known for the black-and-white checkerboard tilework covering most of its tombs, although blue, pink, green, and other colors also appear. No documented explanation has established why the checkerboard pattern became dominant.

Before All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on November 1 and 2, families clean, repair, weed, paint, and decorate the graves. On the evening of November 1, relatives gather to pray and light candles in memory of the dead, illuminating the terraced cemetery.