The final resting place of Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez, who died in Mexico in 2014, will be the city of Cartagena, local authorities said on Tuesday, August 11.
The announcement puts an end to speculation that his ashes may remain in his adopted home of Mexico, or be split between the two countries.
In a statement, the Governor of Bolivar, Juan Carlos Gossaín, said, “The decision that was made by Gabriel García Márquez’s family, his wife Mercedes Barcha and his children Rodrigo and Gonzalo, has been greeted with deep sentiment by this government.”
From December 12, his remains will rest at the Cloister of La Merced, a former convent in the historic walled city area, which currently serves as the headquarters of the University of Cartagena.
The site is a few blocks from García Márquez’s house in the city that features in various of his works, most famously Love in the Time of Cholera.
