After centuries of careful preservation, it only takes a small bit of 21st-century incompetence to lose an arm (literally).
Mexico's federal archaeology agency called out the city of Guanajuato for roughing up one of the country's famous 19th-century mummies. According to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), recent renovations at the museum left one mummy short an arm.
Yup, it just fell off!
You might think the fuss is about treating 1800s corpses with respect. But these mummies, dug up since the 1860s because families couldn't pay burial fees, have been on gruesome display in Guanajuato's museum and even toured the U.S. in 2009.
The real issue?
A turf war between INAH claims the mummies as "national patrimony," and Guanajuato sees them as tourist magnets. The conservative-run city and state are clashing with the Morena party, their federal arch-nemesis.
Experts have warned of the potential health risks of this traveling mummy display.
These preserved corpses were unintentionally mummified in Guanajuato's dry, mineral-rich soil, complete with hair, leathery skin, and their original clothing. The National Institute of Anthropology and History says one mummy seems to be sporting some unwanted fungal growths, too.
Now that one of the mummies lost an arm and possibly more body parts, the institute has demanded a detailed report on the permits and procedures followed during the museum renovations.
These events confirm that the way the museum's collection was moved is not the correct one, and that far from applying proper corrective and conservation strategies, the actions carried out resulted in damages, not only to this body.
It appears that this situation is related to a lack of knowledge about proper protocols and the lack of training of the personnel in charge of carrying out these tasks.
The institute seemed pretty irked that Guanajuato's staff, not their own, are in charge of the 100 or so mummies. Since most were dug up before the institute was founded in 1939, they're still under local control - a fact that's annoyed federal officials for years.
Apparently, this isn't the first time that a long-dead person's body part became a national, political hot potato in Mexico.
Back in 1989, the Mexican government faced a storm of complaints when they decided to part ways with the arm of revolutionary Gen. Álvaro Obregón.
(His arm had been pickled in formaldehyde and displayed for fifty years!)
Visitors thought it was a bit of an eyesore, so they gave it a fiery send-off and laid it to rest.
In 1838, Antonio López de Santa Anna, who served as Mexico's president a whopping 11 times, had his leg buried with honors after losing it in battle. But by 1844, folks weren't feeling so adoring anymore - an angry crowd accused him of treason, dug up the leg, and took it for a rather undignified stroll through Mexico City before destroying it for good.
What's that saying about letting sleeping dogs lie?
How about we just let buried dead bodies lie?
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