The land which the cemetery occupies was previously part of the Hacienda San Pedro de Macati which was owned by the Zóbel de Ayala family. The land was then under the province of Rizal. The South Cemetery was legally acquired by Ordinance 726 and other actions taken as ruled in Jacobo Zobel et al. vs. City of Manila (G.R. No. L-22201, 1925).The cemetery, occupying an area of 25 hectares (62 acres),has a maximum capacity of 371,490 graves. As of June 30, 2007, 266,170 burials were made in the cemetery. There were an estimated 753,186 burials as of July 2018.

On All Saints' Day 2015, a record 32,000 people visited the cemetery

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