Colombia’s President, Juan Manuel Santos, has ordered his staff to respect the decision of the family of Gabriel Garcia Marquez if they decide to bury the deceased writer in Mexico rather than his native Colombia, the culture minister said Thursday.
MORE: Colombia literary legend Gabriel Garcia Marquez dies at 87
In an interview with local radio station W, Culture Minister Mariana Garces said she and her colleagues had received orders to respect the family’s wishes.
Garcia Marquez was born in Colombia, but has lived in Mexico — which considers the late writer one of its own — since the 1960s.
In his native country he continues to be seen as the country’s greatest writer in history, as iconic books like “100 Years of Solitude” and “Love in Times of Cholera” were about Marquez’ time in Colombia.
If the Garcia Marquez family decides to bury or cremate their loved one in Mexico, Colombia will respect this and pay tribute on a later date.
Following the writer’s death earlier Thursday in his Mexico City home, his remains were taken to a nearby funeral home where friends and family can pay respect and hundreds of fans gathered to pay tribute to their late hero.
The writer’s death spurred thousands of responses on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
MORE: Colombia mourns death of ‘ greatest writer ever’, Gabriel Garcia Marquez