Visitors stop and stare at the mummified corpse of an unidentified woman nicknamed “the witch” on display behind bars at a museum exhibition stirring controversy in Mexico.
The wizened body — cloaked in a floral blouse and skirt, yellow hair still flowing from her head — is one of more than 100 naturally mummified corpses on display in Mexico’s central city of Guanajuato.
“I don’t know who decided to display the body in this way, but it has been exhibited like this for many years,” Guanajuato director of culture Jesus Borja said.
Photo: AFP
The exhibition has triggered a debate between those who consider the mummies to be part of the city’s cultural heritage and others who see the display as unethical commercial exploitation.
The corpses, which include babies, were exhumed from 1870 to 2004 due to a lack of space in a local cemetery.
Unable to contact relatives of the deceased, local officials designated them as “cultural heritage.”
Photo: AFP
They are a very profitable tourist attraction, generating about US$2 million in annual revenue for the municipality from about 600,000 visitors per year.
The mummies are kept in three museums in Guanajuato, which is known for its colonial architecture as well as its long tunnels and alleyways — remnants of a mining past.
Most of the corpses are exhibited upright in glass cases, with little space between their skulls and the display lights.
The controversy grew after several mummies were transported to the capital, Mexico City, about 350km by road from Guanajuato, to be shown at a tourist fair in March.
The Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History has voiced concern about a possible fungal growth on one of the bodies, after pictures showed white dots on the torso and legs.
“It’s worrying and strange that an assessment of such bodies was not made before their transfer,” the institute said in a statement.
Transportation of the remains was done with care, Borja said, adding that the mummies represent a generational “link.”
The Guanajuato government said it asked the institute to check all the remains before they were exhibited in Mexico City.
The mummy display has divided opinion among residents of Guanajuato.
“I would find it disrespectful if one of my relatives were in the exhibition,” said Luis Garcia, a 50-year-old tour guide.
However, Josefina Lemus, a 69-year-old retired teacher, said she would not mind being exhibited if her remains were mummified.
“I don’t think it’s denigrating,” she said, adding that “it’s unlikely relatives are still around.”
The mummification process can occur naturally as a body becomes dehydrated, said Ilan Leboreiro, an anthropologist who sits on a commission created by the institute to investigate the identities and condition of the mummies.
The panel hopes to restore dignity to the remains, Leboreiro said, criticizing the way in which the “witch” is exhibited.
“It’s not ethical to treat the remains of a human being that way,” he said.
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