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Burials Henry Watkins Allen, James E. Slaughter | ||
The Mexico City National Cemetery is a cemetery in Mexico City. It was established in 1851 by the United States Congress to gather the American dead of the Mexican-American War that lay in the nearby fields and to provide burial space for Americans who died in the vicinity. A small monument marks the common grave of 750 unidentified American dead of the War of 1847. Inscribed on the monument are the words:
Contents
TO THE HONORED MEMORY OF 750 AMERICANS KNOWN BUT TO GOD WHOSE BONES COLLECTED BY THEIR COUNTRY'S ORDER ARE HERE BURIEDIn this 1-acre (4,000 m2) area are also placed 813 remains of Americans and others in wall crypts on either side of the cemetery. The cemetery was closed to further burials in 1923.
The cemetery, which is administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission, is open daily to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except December 25 and January 1. It is open on host country holidays. When the cemetery is open to the public, a staff member is on duty in the Visitor Building to answer questions and escort relatives to grave and memorial sites.
Location
Mexico City National Cemetery is at 31 Virginia Fabregas, Colonia San Rafael about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the Metropolitan Cathedral and about 1-mile (1.6 km) north of the U.S. Embassy.