The Panteón de Belén is Guadalajara's oldest surviving cemetery, established in the 1840s to receive victims of the cholera epidemics that swept the city. The grounds have a haunted quality: elaborate 19th-century mausoleums, crumbling angels, and overgrown tombs of wealthy colonial families. The combination of genuine historical interest and ghost stories has made it a popular site for day-of-the-dead visits and evening tours.
The cemetery is a 15-minute walk north of the historic centre. It functions as both an active cemetery and a public monument — visitors wander freely during daylight hours.