Mexican government experts said Thursday they were concerned that a traveling exhibit of mummies from the 1800s could pose a health risk to the public.
The preserved corpses were unintentionally mummified when buried in crypts in dry, mineral-rich soil in the state of Guanajuato. Some still have their original hair, leathery skin and clothing.
But the National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a statement that one of the mummies also appears to have fungal growths.
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The federal institute has distanced itself from the state government’s decision to display half a dozen mummies in glass cases at a tourism fair in Mexico City. It was unclear whether the cases were airtight, and the institute said it had not been consulted about the display.
“It is even more concerning that they are still exposed without the protections for the public against biological hazards,” the institute said.
Experts have detected fungal growth on a mummy used for a Mexican exhibit. Experts said they were concerned the traveling exhibit could pose health risks to the public.
“From some of the published photos, at least one of the exposed corpses, which was inspected by the institute in November 2021, shows signs of a proliferation of possible colonies of fungi,” the institute wrote.
“All of this should be carefully investigated to see if these are signs of a risk to cultural heritage, as well as to those who manage it and come to see it.”
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The mummies are usually exhibited in the state capital of Guanajuato. But they have already traveled and some were exhibited in the United States in 2009.
They have been preserved naturally, some say due to the climate, mineral-rich environment, others due to the sealed crypts, though no one knows for sure. They were excavated starting in 1860, because their families could no longer pay the burial fees, and put on display.
