 "Photo: Courtesy of Gretchen Mallios")
San Diego has a diverse range of burial sites that include people such as Jonas Salk, the developer of the polio vaccination.
But according to San Diego State anthropology and archaeology professor, Seth Mallios, Ph.D., and his research, many of San Diego's old cemeteries have been either trampled on or developed over, dating back as early as the 1970s.
Mallios is the founder of the San Diego Gravestone Project, which is designed to collect, examine and survey data gathered at San Diego's nearly 150 cemeteries.
Mallios' work comes from his passion for history and archaeology. He started the project at SDSU after he gained experience working on the Jamestown Rediscovery Archaeological Project in Jamestown, Va., where more than 1 million artifacts were discovered.
"I think archeology and history are everywhere, and I get a big kick out of that," Mallios said. "… These are peoples' eternal markers. Gravestones are supposed to be anchors … they're supposed to be for eternity. In San Diego that's not always the case."
Mallios said he has two purposes for the San Diego Gravestone Project. The first is to show the vast amount of cemeteries in San Diego and the historical significance each one renders. The second is to emphasize respect for the past through promotion and preservation of the sites.
"The San Diego Gravestone Project, still ongoing, is a very satisfying project," said David Caterino, a former SDSU graduate student and South Coastal Information Center employee. "It's a constant treasure hunt, with the prize of a cemetery that few locals have seen or heard of in the last century."
A team of 15 to 20 volunteers, interns, students and employees work to file, measure and photograph gravestones while exploring culture, local and regional history, observing mortuary art and symbols.
Mallios has also developed SDSU courses to complement the gravestone project, including Archaeological Field Techniques 312. Students get hands on experience through taking the courses and gathering data Mallios later analyzes.
The San Diego Gravestone Project was formed in 2002; one year after Mallios was hired at SDSU. It generated funding through a string of grants, including an SDSU Faculty-in-Aid grant and has proven to be a successful venture of anthropologic studies.
So far, Mallios and his team have recorded nearly 10,000 gravestones in their digital inventory. He has co-written a book based on project findings with Caterino titled "Cemeteries of San Diego: Images of America."
The book is intended to give readers insight on San Diego's rich history through anecdotal story telling, regarding the people who lived and were buried in San Diego and showing the transition in gravestones overtime, because of cultural and economic factors.
"Our history is a non-renewable resource," Mallios said. "We're not creating anymore burials from the 1700s, 1800s or 1900s.
"Once we lose those, they're gone forever and we lose a part of our identity … that history is who we are."
Mallios said he and his team plan to continue their gravestone surveys throughout San Diego County.
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