The Mexico City National Cemetery was established in 1851 by Congress to gather the American dead of the Mexican War that lay in the nearby fields and to provide burial space for Americans that died in the vicinity. A small monument marks the common grave of 750 unidentified American dead of the War of 1847. Inscribed on the monument are the words:

To the honored memory

of 750 Americans

known but to God

whose bones collected

by their country’s order

are here buried.

In this one-acre area are also placed the remains of 813 Americans and others in wall crypts on either side of the cemetery. The cemetery was closed to further burials in 1923.

The cemetery is open daily to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except December 25 and January 1. It is open on host country holidays. When the cemetery is open to the public, a staff member is on duty in the visitor building to answer questions and escort relatives to grave and memorial sites.

Information and images provided by the American Battle Monuments Commission.