Guanche mummies were embalmed in a smoking process that lasted just 15 days.
Guanche mummies were embalmed in a smoking process that lasted just 15 days.
MADRID— — Ana Lacasa
Researchers have discovered the unique process that has made 850-year-old Spanish mummies the best-preserved in the world.
One of about 20 Guanche mummies is now on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid after having been meticulously examined, complete with reconstructed facial features and a full head of hair.
Analyses conducted on the mummies over a five-year period established the Guanches, aboriginal inhabitants of the Canary Islands with North African origins, were embalmed and mummified through a process more efficient than that used in Ancient Egypt or South America.
When a prominent Guanche died, the body had to undergo a very delicate mummification process called “xaxo,” which involved greasing the body with a mixture of fat from livestock, herbs and “dragon’s blood,” a bright red resin. Pumice, unguents, soil and volcanic remains were then introduced into the body through the mouth and anus to assist with dehydration. Next, the body was left out in the sun for around two weeks, with campfires lit around it during the night, effectively smoking it.
“This mummification process was very different to the Egyptian one. It took the Guanches only 15 days to achieve excellent results, while the Egyptians spent 70 days on their mummification process,” Teresa Gomez Espinosa, chief curator of the Preservation Department at the museum, told Zenger News. “Once the body was mummified, it was protected with goat leather wrapping and left in a volcanic caves, which completed the process. Volcanic caves have a perfectly stable temperature and humidity to help preserve the mummies.”
As opposed to most Egyptian mummies, the Guanche mummies were embalmed fully intact with their entrails, which allowed scientists to perform accurate DNA tests and establish with certainty they were blood-related to the historically nomadic North African Berber tribes.
A forensics sculptor was enlisted to recreate the facial features of the mummy on display at the museum, thought to have died in the 12th or 13th century between the ages of 45 and 50.
“When I finally saw his face, I was deeply touched. You always imagine what they looked like, and when you finally see them, it is somehow shocking,” Espinosa said. “This one is the best preserved Guanche mummy of them all.”
While it is unclear why the Guanches migrated to the Canary Islands, they lived there in isolation after arriving. A few hundred years later, Castilian boats set sail to explore the islands, and the Spaniards were surprised to find inhabitants already living on them.
Skirmishes broke out between the original population and the new arrivals, and the Guanches were all but wiped out by the 15th century. Before their disappearance, they left behind a large number of well-preserved mummies tucked away in grottoes.
(Edited by Carlin Becker and Fern Siegel)
(Edited by Carlin Becker and Fern Siegel)
