The Camposanto of Oton

A camposanto is a cemetery or a burial ground, the final resting place of the corporeal bodies of our loved ones. It came from the Spanish term campo santo meaning “holy ground”. In Panay, however, the term is loosely associated with the funeral chapel found inside cemeteries, when in fact it should encompass the whole burial ground. Anyway, talking about camposantos or cemeteries, the Catholic Cemetery of Oton is thought to be one of the oldest cemeteries in Panay Island. A guess is that it was probably built around the early to the middle of the 19^th century, but the clues to its real age are slowly fading. At first look you wouldn't have thought that this final resting place for the dead is old.