In Los Cabos, dying can be expensive. If you buy a funeral package, it can cost around 32 thousand pesos, but if you prefer a wake for one or more days at the funeral home, with cremation, it can go up to more than 100 thousand pesos.
On behalf of the El Arbolito funeral home, Erica Mejía, in charge of the service office, said that the cost depends a lot on the particular circumstances of each family. There are those who prefer only a direct cremation, “that is, they only want the deceased to be picked up and taken directly to be cremated, that we take care of the paperwork and that we give them the urn. Another would be a wake at the funeral home or at their private home.”
She indicates that there are also those who, for example, want to have a farewell in the living room, want to put a fine wooden coffin, want to stay for more than one day because family is coming from out of town, and then want to cremate and additionally want to buy an urn that varies between 6,500 and 100 thousand pesos, it may also be that the deceased is taller or more robust, in which case, a change in size has to be made to the coffin.
“From there we are talking about around 19 thousand pesos more, or the cost may be higher, since we have the half jumbo, the jumbo and the extra jumbo, if we are talking about a person who weighs 160 kilos, it may cost just the coffin approximately 50 thousand pesos, it cannot be said exactly how much it would cost, because it depends on the circumstances.”
She revealed that they also have funeral packages for future use that are very complete, of which, for example, they currently have a promotion for $42,900. An initial payment is made, and it is paid with 200 biweekly installments and they have the right to 3 different types of services, direct cremation, viewing and cremation or viewing for burial, that is, burial.
He said that the advantage of this promotion that they manage is that, if they require a change in the size of the coffin, in any size that is required, it is given to them at no additional cost, and these days, there is an additional bonus for the date of 10 thousand pesos, “for this reason the recommendation is to acquire a funeral plan for future use, rather than pay it in cash at the time.”
He pointed out that it is very important to carefully review the birth certificate, that it has the same data and the same last names, as well as the INE and CURP of all the people; this in order to avoid unnecessary procedures due to not matching any of the data.
He added that another important fact to take into account is that if a family member dies in their private home, they must report it to 911.
“The funeral home cannot go and pick up the body if the paramedic does not come first to check the vital signs and determine that it is a death and the public ministry to determine the circumstances in which the death occurred and release the body, but, in the case that there was no violence or there is doubt about the type of death, because if there is, it will be the Forensic Medical Service (SEMEFO) who will take charge of the body to perform the corresponding autopsy.
The autopsy is performed on people who die in public, those who have doubts about the circumstances in which they died, those who have bruises, or those in whom it is believed that there was a crime involved and the family requires it, otherwise, it is not performed.
Enrique Calvario Heredia, a cemetery worker in Cabo San Lucas, said that when a family member dies, the first thing to do is to go through the paperwork at the funeral home and they explain the process of how to acquire the package.
“Then you see the land for the burial called “underground”, this has to be paid to the municipality and costs between 250 and 300 pesos, you also have the land in perpetuity when you have an extra plot of land that is your property.”
He added that there is a protocol that must be followed when raising the tombstone, which is from placing the block and plastering inside, leaving a block turn above the ground level and then placing the roof plaster, so that water does not get in when it rains, and they must also leave it clean after finishing the work.
“Another requirement is to respect the measurements given by the cemetery administrator, which is 1.30 by 2.50, respecting the corridors. If you want to hire someone who offers this service, it has a cost of around 7 thousand pesos, which includes the labor and the material needed. When the funeral home intervenes, considering it within the contracted funeral package, they will do it and it is seen with them directly.”
Source: elsudcaliforniano
