Mummies May Pose Health Risks To Visitors, Mexican Experts Warn Government

Mummy is a term used for bodies preserved using chemicals in the past because of the belief that there is a second life beyond death. However, often mummies are also formed naturally after being buried in mineral-rich soil. The second kind of mummies may pose a health risk to the public, warned Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History.

The Daily Star reported that the presented corpses were “unintentionally mummified when they were buried in crypts in dry, mineral-rich soil. The news outlet reports that while some have hair, leathery skin and their original clothes, others have fungal growths on them according to the Institute. The federal institute hence distanced itself from the state government’s decision to display six mummies in a glass casing at a tourism fair in Mexico City.

The main reason for their un-involvement in the event was the lack of assurance that the glass cases were airtight. The institute wasn’t consulted about the display either. The institute further said, “It is even more worrisome that they are still being exhibited without the safeguards for the public against biohazards. From some of the published photos, at least one of the corpses on display, which was inspected by the institute in November 2021, shows signs of a proliferation of possible fungus colonies.”

Since the mummies saw fungal growth, the institute was unsure whether the mummies were in air-tight glass cases. The institute has urged to carefully study the mummies for any signs of risk for the cultural legacy, “as well as for those who handle them and come to see them.”

The mummies generally go on display in the Guanajuato state capital but have travelled before. Some were even displayed in the United States in 2009. They were naturally preserved because of either climatic conditions and mineral-rich environments or because of the sealed crypts according to experts.

Their origins go back to 1860 when they were buried in such crypts due to their families not having enough money to arrange their funerals.

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