The mummified corpse of a woman, baptized “the witch”, is exhibited in a sensational museum, behind bars and chains. It is part of a collection that is sparking heated debate in Mexico about the commercial exploitation of human remains.
Dressed in a floral blouse, a torn gray skirt and yellow locks on her skull, the stiffened body is exposed alongside 116 other naturally mummified corpses in the city of Guanajuato (center), 350 km from the capital Mexico.
Photo: AFP
They were exhumed between 1870 and 2004, for lack of space in the city cemetery, and as their relatives could not be found, the municipal authorities declared them cultural heritage. They are now a very profitable tourist attraction. The approximately 600,000 annual visitors generate approximately $2 million in annual revenue for the municipality.
“I don’t know who decided to set up this scenography (of ‘the witch’) but the mummy has been exhibited like this for many years,” Jesus Borja, head of culture in Guanajuato, told AFP.
Respect
Most of Guanajuato’s mummies are exhibited standing in glass cages and the light installation accentuates the gloomy atmosphere of the place where a funeral melody is played on a loop.
Photo: AFP
The exhibition of these mummified bodies arouses a recurring debate between inhabitants proud of their cultural heritage and opponents denouncing a lack of ethics and respect towards these dead.
The controversy escalated after several mummies were transferred to Mexico City in March for display at a tourist fair, fueled by political differences between the left-leaning national government and the conservative opposition that administers the state of Guanajuato and its regional capital.
Luis Garcia, a resident of Guanajuato, a city of 200,000 inhabitants known for its colorful picturesque alleys and its mining past, wonders about the trade in these remains. To expose “a member of his family would be a lack of respect and I would fight so that he is not exposed”, assured AFP the 50-year-old tourist guide.
“I don’t find it degrading (…) The families have died out,” said Josefina Lemus, a 69-year-old retired teacher, who would have no objection to seeing her own mummified body exposed in this way.
A commission has been set up by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) to investigate the identity and state of preservation of the mummies. Its objective is also to “restore dignity” to these human remains, according to Ilan Leboreiro, anthropologist at INAH who condemns the spectacular installation of “the badly named ‘witch'”.
It is “regrettable that the intention of the authorities of Guanajuato is to promote morbidity. It is unethical to treat the remains of a human being in this way.