One of the most intriguing and unusual spectacles that one can see during a visit to Guanajuato is a stop at El Museo de Las Momías, a museum dedicated to the preservation of a group of naturally-mummified remains that were found in the city’s cemetery between the years 1896 and 1958. The museum is open to the public from 9am until 6pm. There is a small charge for admittance, but that varies. (Usually less than 5 – 10 pesos.)
These mummies were discovered when a new local law took effect. The original cemetery was becoming filled and needed more space. The local officials placed a tax on the relatives of people in the cemetery and wanting to be buried there. This was something that might be called a grave tax. A person could pay a one-time tax of 170 pesos (a large sum in the late 1800s), or pay a yearly tax of 20 pesos. (This was less expensive for the short term, but greater over a long time.) If the tax was not paid for 3 successive years, then the remains of that person’s relatives would be exhumed and placed on display in the museum. The law was changed in 1958, therefore, no new mummies have been removed from the cemetery. However, those that had been removed remained on display in the museum. They are still there until this day.
There are more than 100 specimens that can be viewed. It is unknown if more exist, since only those whose relatives could not pay the local tax were exhumed. So, there may be more mummies about which no one knows. The mummies, themselves, are quite diversified. Some are clothed, others not. Some are old, others young. One tiny baby is labeled as the smallest mummy in the world. Many of these people died with a grimace on their faces, as if they died in agony. It is believed that many of these people died during a cholera epidemic. In some cases, a person with that disease may be in a state of stupor, leading others to assume that they are dead. Then, they are buried alive. When they recover, they find themselves in the ground, unable to remove the soil that is over them. At that point, they quickly starve to death.
Since no scientists have studied the mummies, no one knows for certain how the people became mummified. It is believed that the combination of the dry mountainous air and the minerals in the soil caused this mummification.
Again, this is one of the most unique experiences that I have had, and I am certain that those of you who take the time will agree that it is another of the mysteries of Guanajuato.