/ 2009 / Photojournalism / Feature Story

Living with the Dead

In the middle of the bustling Philippine city of Manila, home to almost 11 million people, lies the North Cemetery. Founded in 1904, it is the final resting place for several Filipino Presidents, celebrities, and hundreds of thousands of the city's Catholic dead. However, since the 1960's a new, living population has grown. In this surreal environment, people have formed a functioning society that is literally built on tombs. A community of approximately 3,000 people currently live and work within in the North Cemetery's walls.