Famous mummy’s arm found broken off at museum in Mexico, officials say. Staff accused
Archaeological officials in Mexico have accused the staff of a museum of improperly handling ancient mummified human remains during a renovation project, resulting in one mummy’s arm being detached from its body, according to a May 27 news release from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
The mummy, known as “The Stabbed One,” is famous among a collection of mummies housed at the Mummies Museum of Guanajuato, officials said.
Over the past few days, social media posts and local reporting found that the arm of the mummy was significantly damaged, and it was later confirmed by archaeologists that the damage went beyond normal decay of time, according to the release.
The INAH said the mummy was damaged during a renovation project at the museum which required the body to be moved, Querétaro Newspaper reported.
The agency said the staff of the museum were not using proper protocols to preserve the mummies and keep them safe as they were handled, according to the release, and the staff was accused of not being properly trained.
The INAH said it had gathered photo and video evidence of the mummy’s detached arm that was previously attached, according to the release.
The agency has asked for an investigation and intervention from the federal government while it continues to re-evaluate the mummies in the collection, officials said. Archaeologists will apply corrective and preventive conservation strategies to make sure more damage isn’t done, according to the release.
Archaeologists also said that it was willing to work with the government to take care of the mummified bodies in the future, and said the mummies should not be treated like merchandise which can be exploited commercially and economically.
The mummified bodies were first discovered in the 1800s buried in dry and mineral-rich soil crypts, McClatchy News reported. The bodies stumped researchers, and it’s still not clear how they became mummified.
This is also not the first time archaeological officials have clashed with the museum putting the mummies on display.
In March 2023, the mummy exhibit went on a traveling tour and officials noticed “signs of life” on the bodies, McClatchy News reported.
Experts believed they may be possible fungal growths that not only posed a threat to the preservation of the bodies, but also to the people who were moving and viewing them during the exhibit. The INAH said there were not enough safeguards in place at the time, and called upon the government of Guanajuato to allow the mummies to be examined.
More than 5,000 people visited the traveling mummy exhibit on the first day alone, officials said at the time, according to McClatchy News.
Now, archaeologists with the INAH said if their recommendations and advice continue to be ignored, irreparable damage may be done to the mummies who are part of the cultural heritage of Guanajuato.
Guanajuato is in central Mexico, about a 220-mile drive northwest from Mexico City.
Google Translate was used to translate the news releases from the Guanajuato government and Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History.
This story was originally published May 28, 2024 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Famous mummy’s arm found broken off at museum in Mexico, officials say. Staff accused."
