Wednesday marks the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti last year.

On the eve of the anniversary, the nation remembered victims of the disaster at the site of a mass grave, where more than 150-thousand victims are believed buried.

On a windswept hill, a cross and white banners marked the burial site on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.

Haitian President Rene Preval headed the ceremony. He said the act of remembering was the duty of all Haitians.

Rene Preval, Haitian President, said, "We must respect those who died. We must not forget because it motivates us and gives us strength to ensure future generations don't suffer what we have suffered."

The site was inaugurated as a permanent memorial site in memory of the quake.

In the days after the quake, bodies were brought by the truckload to the site and buried in common graves. Unmarked wooden crosses serve as a reminder of those killed, and as a memorial to future generations.

A relative of one of the victims buried at the site said the memorial site was a somber reminder of the tragedy.

Terline Colas, Quake Victims's Relative, said, "The crosses won't change anything, but they help us remember January 12th and the people who had dreams and ambitions who died in seconds."

Last year's quake killed around 250-thousand people and wrecked much of the capital Port-au-Prince, leaving more than one million homeless.

Despite billions of dollars in donations and an army of relief workers, debris still clogs much of the city and those homeless live in tents.

The country faces a long road to recovery from the disaster. The journey has been made all the more harder by a cholera epidemic that has killed more than 36-hundred people.