Inside the Gruesome Mummies of Guanajuato in the 1950s – Design You Trust

Inside the Gruesome Mummies of Guanajuato in the 1950s

The Mummies of Guanajuato are a number of naturally mummified bodies interred during a cholera outbreak around Guanajuato, Mexico in 1833.

h/t: vintag.es

The human bodies appear to have been disinterred between 1870 and 1958. During that time, a local tax was in place requiring a fee to be paid for “perpetual” burial. Some bodies for which the tax was not paid were disinterred, and some—apparently those in the best condition—were stored in a nearby building. The climate of Guanajuato provides an environment which can lead to a type of natural mummification, although scientific studies later revealed that some bodies had been at least partially embalmed.

By the 1900s the mummies began attracting tourists. Cemetery workers began charging people a few pesos to enter the building where bones and mummies were stored.

This place was subsequently turned into a museum called El Museo de las Momias (“The Museum of the Mummies”) in 1969. As of 2007, 59 mummies were on display, of a collection that totals 111.












If you want more awesome content, subscribe to 'Oh, Design You Trust,' our brand new Facebook page! Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

More Inspiring Stories

Vintage Pictures of Snow King Chairlifts without Any Safety Bars that Look Very Unsafe, 1950-1970
Bizarre Surreal and Vampire Themed Paintings of Bolesław Biegas
Vintage Snaps Capture Life at Venice Beach in 1970
This Is a Real Wheelchair Car from 1956
Photographer Hélène Veilleux Took Surreal Photos Of Abandoned Ship Graveyards In The Aral Sea
20 Amazing Photos Of A Young And Hot Axl Rose In The 1980s
Vintage Photos Capture Springtime In Clarksville, Arkansas In 1953
Dublin’s Hungry Tree: Approach At Your Peril!
Fascinating Black and White Pictures of New York Street Life in the Late 1960s
World Heritage Gassho Zukuri Farmhouses Hold Water-Discharge Exercise
The 5 Most Delightfully Cheesy Dinosaur Parks
The Battle For The Largest Bonfire In The Netherlands
1960 Ford Spaceliner, a Vehicle That Looks a Bit Like a Spaceship From a Science-Fiction Movie
"A Colorful Day Out To Coney Island": Color Photographs Of A Summer's Escape From New York City In 1948
Photographer Spends Three Years Travelling The World To Capture Stunning Landscape Images At Sunrise And Sunset
Weird Kafka-Style Anatomies, Fantastic Creatures And Fancies Chart By Camille Renversades
Wonderful Photos of London’s Tube Riders From the 1960s to 1980s
Ukraine-Born American Artist Boris Artzybasheff’s Anti-Nazi Illustrations
A Couple Traveled to Croatia to Find "Game of Thrones" Filming Locations in Real-Life
The Wonderful Village Without Roads That You Wish You Never Had To Leave
Amazing Vintage Color Photos Of Trailer Parks In The United States From Between The 1950s And 1960s
Woman Splashes £70K Transforming Her Three-Bed Terrace Into A Retro Wonderland After Raiding Charity Shops
This Thai Resort Is Surrounded By Trees And Was Inspired By Four Fictitous Clans
Famous Album Covers Brought Onto Their Original New York City Locations Where They Were Shot