#TURISMOMACABRO: THE MUSEO DEL CARMEN AND THE MUMMIES OF SAN ÁNGEL

By Casandra Vicario

Guanajuato is not the only place where we can enjoy “mummies,” since in the Distrito Federal, specifically at the Museo del Carmen, it's possible to admire other bodies mummified by the passage of time and the conditions of the space.

The famous mummies of San Ángel are 12 mummified bodies that were found in the crypts of the site during the Mexican Revolution by a small Zapatista army. It is said that the armed men were looking for gold, but instead they found these bodies, which were believed to belong to the monks who had lived there, though years later it was discovered that they were actually benefactors of the convent.

Many stories are told from person to person and on social media and the internet about these mummies; some claim they can be seen in the early morning hours walking along the cobblestone streets near the Convent. Some of the site's watchmen claim that at night, they can be heard singing.

They are currently displayed in wooden boxes lined with black velvet, decorated with murals, and are approximately 300 years old.

As an additional fact, we can share that these mummies of San Ángel appeared in 2 Mexican films: “La Tía Alejandra,” by Arturo Ripstein, in 1979, and “Veneno para las Hadas,” by Carlos Enrique Taboada, in 1984.

If you like the macabre, visit the mummies of San Ángel. The place is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission costs $41 pesos, and students, teachers, children under 12, and those with an INSEN card can get in free.

Visit www.museodeelcarmen.org (abre en nueva pestaña) for more information.