The cemetery occupies a rectangular area of about 56 hectares (about 800 m long from east to west and about 600 m wide from north to south). It contains mausoleums, chapels, vaults, tombs, galleries and countless gravestones, embellished with angels, griffins, cherubs, and other flamboyant ornamentation, executed by some of Cuba’s most renowned 19th- and 20th-century artists such as José Vilalta Saavedra, Florencio Gelabert, Juan José Sicre, Miguel Melero, René Portocarrero, Eugenio Batista, Max Borges Recio and Rita Longa. The cemetery houses more than 52.000 properties, of which about 8.000 has patrimonial value.  

Two large central avenues that intersect with each other perpendicularly, are forming a large central cross. Each avenue is 21 m wide and has sidewalks of 2 meters wide at each side. The north parth of the central avenue from the main entrance to the Central Chapel is named Avenida Cristóbal Colón, whereas its continuation from the chapel to the second entrance on the south is named Avenida Obispo Espada. The longer second central avenue that intersects these avenues at the Central Chapel is named Avenida Obispo Fray Jacinto. In the spaces between the arms of this central cross (called as barracks), the same schema is reproduced on a lesser scale. The streets in these areas are about 5 to 7 m wide and they have sidewalks of 0,5 m wide. These five crosses represent the five wounds that Jesus Christ when he was crucified. Moreover, the central avenue, consisting of the Avenida Cristóbal Colón and the Avenida Obispo Espada is just on the north-south axis; thus, the central avenues are on four cardinal points of the compass, representing the spread of the Christianity to all directions. The plan of the cemetery was laid out like a grid similar to Vedado where the streets were numbered and lettered.  The small square at the intersection of the Avenida Cristóbal Colón with the street D is named Cristóbal Colón, as it was intended to erect the bust of the admiral at the time, when the cemetery was inaugurated, but this never occurred.

The cemetery is built in the Romanesque-Byzantine style. The mausoleums, galleries, graves etc. are made of Carrara marble predominantly, but there are marbles also brought from other places like Brescia (Rosso Brechia marble; Italy), Tennessee or Georgia (US). Cuban marble is also used. Polished granite is the second preferred material, as it is an extremely hard and time-resistant stone. Less expensive materials such as artificial granite and limestone are also widely used, particularly at modest graves.

The main entrance (Portón Cementerio Colón) is in the center of its north side, opposite the trangle formed by the intersection of the 12th, 25th and the Zapata streets. The grandiose stone gateway is the work of the architect Eugenio Rayneri that completed it after 3-years of work in 1874. The triple-arched entrance gate has a height of about 22 m (from the top of the sculptural group to the ground), a length of about 35 m and a thickness of 2,5 m. The main entrance is composed of two side doors of about 2,7 m wide and a central door of 5 m wide. All the doors have iron fence closures. Successive columns and arches at the doors, shrinking the entrance a little bit, give an impression of deepness. Each door is decorated with biblical reliefs.

The sculptural group crowning the attic of the entrance, is formed by three white Carrara marble statues. They symbolize the three theological virtues: Faith, Hope and Charity. The inscription in Latin “JANUA SUM PACIS” that can be read at the foot of this sculptural group, specifies the function of the entrance: The Door to Peace. It is the work of the prestigious Cuban sculptor José Vilalta Saavedra that sculpted also the José Martí statue in the Central Park, the statue of Francisco de Albear in front of the Floridita bar-restaurant and the memorial that was erected in memoriam to eight Cuban medical students in Parque del Martíres del 71. The large sculptural group was made in Italy and arrived in Cuba in 1899.

Between the sculptural group and the central door, there are two marble reliefs on either facet of the gateway. The relief, facing the Zapata street, represents the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, whereas the relif inside of the cemetery represents resurrection of San Lazaro (his rising from the grave). They are the work of the Cuban sculptor José Vilalta Saavedra and they were exceuted in 1899.

The cemetery has another entrance on its south part on the San Antonio Chiquito street, just in line with the main entrance on the north.

The Cementerio Colón is a Catholic cemetery. The cemetery was divided by distinct areas, defined by rank and social status of the dead. In the course of time, the plots, assigned to higher classes, such as the priests, officers and wealthy families, became a means for these families to present their wealthy and powerful status by erecting more elaborate tombs, statues and mausoleums. Many of the family graves are smaller-scale versions of their residences, adorned with arches, cupolas, and stained-glass windows. The best preserved and ostentatious tombs stand on or near the central avenues and their axes, particularly along the Avenida Cristóbal Colón, between the main entrance and the Capilla Central (Central Chapel). This area is called the First Monument Zone.

The 10-meters high sculptural set the Monumento a los Bomberos (Firemen’s Monument) can be seen even from the main entrance. The expressive monument was built by the by Spanish sculptor Agustín Querol Subirats and architect Julio Martinez Zapata in the memoriam to the tragic event in that the 28 firemen died in the fire of a hardware shop in 1890, when they were doing their heroic work. The winged angel of Faith carries a fainted fireman on her arms, while four feminine figures surround the grave, representing the Abnegation, the Pain, the Heroism, and the Martyrdom.

The Capilla del Amor (Chapel of Love) is another place that is visited by many. It was built by Juan Pedro Baró for his beloved wife Catalina Laza.