Our Take: New Orleans and southern Louisiana have always had different burial customs because of the high water table of the region. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is the oldest existing cemetery in the city dating from 1789. The location is next to the French Quarter and outside the city’s boundaries in the 1780’s. Among those who are buried here are Homer Plessy (civil rights champion), Marie Laveau (reputed Voodoo practitioner), Benjamin Latrobe (designer of the US Capitol), and Etienne Borre (plantation owner who modernized sugar production). Actor Nicholas Cage has built his tomb here in advance of his passing. The tomb is pyramid shaped and in inscribed with the Latin phrase “Omni Ab Uno” or “Everything From One.” Visits to the cemetery are by tour only. The property, owned by the local Catholic Archdiocese, moved to guided tours when drug use and vandalism took its toll on the property. Tours are 45 minutes long and are accessible to all.