The Legend of the Mummies of Guanajuato has become one of the most well-known and popular stories in Mexico. Since the mummies were discovered in the mid-19th century, they have become a major tourist attraction in the country. Learn more about the history below.
The Legend of the Mummies of Guanajuato
Mexican culture could be considered one of the most complete and interesting, not only in the Americas but in the world. It is a country where the attachment to its traditions and customs is growing stronger. On this occasion, we will talk about one of the most well-known stories in the country, The Legend of the Mummies of Guanajuato.
Since the moment the mummies of Guanajuato were discovered in the mid-19th century, they have become one of the main tourist attractions in Mexico. People from different parts of the world come to the museum every year to visit them and learn more about their history and cultural importance.
However, it is important not to confuse them, as these bodies have not undergone a traditional mummification process. This means that the remains found in Guanajuato soil have been mummified thanks to the natural conditions of the soil. In simple terms, they are ordinary deceased individuals who, for some reason, ended up buried beneath the surface.
When tourists arrive in this city and ask its inhabitants about the history of the mummies, they will surely hear a chilling legend that talks about how many of these bodies were originally housed in secret catacombs. Mexico is a country where legends and myths are characteristic and play a fundamental role in its cultural history.
The culture of Mexico is especially distinguished by having hundreds of chronicles or stories that refer to events that have occurred over time, but have been slightly modified because they have been transmitted from generation to generation. Before talking about the Legend of the Mummies of Guanajuato, it is worth highlighting the fact that this city was declared a World Heritage Site by the UN in 1988.
That statement was not only thanks to the Guanajuato Mummy Museum, but also because this tourist city currently presents impressive colonial architecture, such as the famous “Callejón del Beso” (Alley of the Kiss), a place where a tragedy similar to that of Romeo and Juliet supposedly occurred. Geographically, this Mexican city is described as a mining center.
The Spaniards who arrived in this area during the conquest settled in the surrounding areas in order to extract precious metals such as gold, which they would then send to their territory. There is a legend that claims that many of the workers who worked in these mines were buried clandestinely and were not discovered until the municipal government decided to carry out a series of excavations with the aim of relocating these unidentified bodies to a cemetery and giving them a Christian burial.
The Guanajuato mummies have also served as a source of inspiration for many writers and directors in both film and television. These individuals have taken their own ideas about the mummies and brought them to audiovisual media, especially in horror genre films. One thing to be clear about is that there is no single, exclusive narrative that speaks about the mummies on display in museums.
In other words, each person takes elements and creates their own legend or version about the origin of these mummified bodies. History reveals that after the 1958s, burials were no longer conducted in the capital city of Guanajuato because the government at that time stopped charging a burial tax.
However, before the mummies were placed in the museum’s collection, citizens were already paying a fee, not only to see them but also to hear the story of the Guanajuato mummies. Today, this collection of exhumed remains could be considered the most important, not only in America but in the entire Western Hemisphere.
The legend of the mummies of Guanajuato, better known, tells that in the 1830s, a great plague spread in the Mexican city, causing paralysis among its victims. Unaware of the context, people hurriedly buried the bodies to prevent further contagion. However, the “deceased” were not actually dead but in a state similar to generalized paralysis.
According to the legend, many victims of the plague, already buried, woke up inside the coffins and died suffocated, not without experiencing unspeakable despair. For this reason, it is said that many of the exhibited mummies seem to express extreme suffering on their faces. Although it is now known that tissue retraction around the mouth area is responsible for their facial expressions.
The second legend
There is a second legend of the Mummies of Guanajuato that states that the traveling mummies return from their pilgrimage to the United States. The story tells that a man arrived in the city for work reasons, feeling great joy in exploring the corners of the city and learning about the legends of this beautiful colonial town.
The legend tells that this man decided to enter the premises of the mummy museum and while he was exploring the place, he noticed that one of the specimens that had just returned from the United States was not in its place. However, he didn’t pay much attention to it, thinking that it was still undergoing restoration work.
After finishing his tour, the visitor went back to his hotel and on the way, he saw a car about to run over a woman. He decided to help her by pushing her to avoid the impact of the vehicle. The woman quickly got up and thanked the visitor, but when she went to shake his hand, one of her fingers came off and turned into bone immediately.
According to this legend, it is believed that the man had actually helped one of the mummies in the museum, which comes out at night to roam the streets of the city with the intention of instilling fear in the population. This is one of the most famous and replicated versions of the legend of the Guanajuato Mummies. Like this one, there are many other interesting versions. This could be a good version of the legend of the Guanajuato Mummies for children.