Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-13

PRIESTS LIVE
AMlDtDEA TIL
cATAcoMBs FULL OF MuMMlES
X OF ANCIENT DEAD i
LAW is PASSED PROHIBITING
THEIR EXHIBITION
One Of the Greatest Sights That Drew
Tourists to cuanaJuato, Mexico,
Is Now Denied the
Public
nY HAINrs w. REED

Seeing ghosts on dark night is MOTH
ing compared to the sensation of being
ushered into dimly lighted hall where
mummies lean against the wall on either
side with an immense mound Of human
skulls and bones piled UP at the far
end of the passageway.
This Is the sensation to which tourists
to Guanajuato MEXICO, were treated for
merly for the modest sum of four reals
Mexican currency,
The Railways of the old Spanish mon
astery in Guanajuato.j Mexico, are used
as a kind OF store,-house- for mummics
which have been placed there during the
last fifty years There are dozens OF
them and the number is growing all the
time as they are taken from the adjoining
old graveyard to make room for new
corpses.
In another part of the building the
padres live, hold mass and enjoy life
In their quiet way and do not seem to
mind the presence of their mummy
neighbors in the adjoining section of the
ancient structure.
In fact the people of Guanajuato think
nothing of the sight. The mummies have
been there ever since they can remember
and they would not even trouble to go
across the street to see the sight until
they found Americans would pay to be
conducted through the old Railways and
enjoyed the gruesome spectacle.
Exploitation of the tourist pocketboolS
is one of the favorite Industries among
the lower class in Mexico, and every
tourists who landed on the railway plat
form at Guanajuato was Immediately set
upon by dozen jealous guides, >all
yelling at once, guaranteeing to show
the traveller more mummies than any
4 other guide.
Priests Get Even
The Spanish priests took the matter
sgood-naturedly and got even on the
game at mass when the guides came to
contribute their savings to keep candle
grease sputtering around the wax i'm
ages OF the Virgin and saints that clus-
tered around the chapel almost in as
great profusion as the mummies in the
adjoining vaulted passageways OF the
rambling stone edifice.
In all Spanish American countries 1t is
the custom to bury the dead In vaults
of stone and cement These vaults are
not underground, but are built in tiers
one above the other like shelves in a
dry goods store.
The higher ones are reached by step
ladders VMost of these old burying
grounds are very ancient, having been
established in the time of the Spaniards,
who ornamented the whole landscape of
Mexico and South America with immense
stone churches and monasteries built by
slave labor at the sacrifice OF thousands
of lives of the ignorant Indian serfs
These landmarks to Spanish oppression
remain today in perfect state of preserva-
ton and will probably be used by gen.
eratioris yet to come. -
Adjoining these immense structures Is
usually found graveyard. Here vaults
are rented out at SO much year. Wher
the family of the deceased ceases paying
the rent the vault is chiseled open ano
the body removed and the vault turned
over to some new patron. When body
is placed in one of these vaults it Is
Theoretically sealed by cement and stone
This prevents the body from decay and
often results in perfect mummification
Graveyard overfIows
In Guanajuato the graveyard has long
been full and overflowing and bodies are
continually being removed. These, when
whole and intact. are placed along the
walls of the old monastery in STANDING
nosition where they grin and gawk at
the visitor until the cold shivers run
down his spinal column. If the body is
not mumnified the bones are cast upon
the large heap of human bones in
robin at the end of one Of the passage
ways. A few of the mummies have tags
pasted on to their leathery chests so the
members of the famlly Oh tne uecedseu
may go and gaze upon their ancient
ancestor.
Tourists began to visit the mummy
rooms Of Guanajuato in such great
numbers that the matter was brought
TO the attention of the federal authori-
ties. and it was decided that something
be done about the matter. Someone OF
tbe cabinet officers is supposed to have
suggested that it was immodest to leave
the mummies without clothes and sum
was Immediately appropriated to provide
garb for the mummy population OF
Guanajuato. The garb selected was q
white cotton gown. Horror OF horrors
The sight presented by those white
gowned mummies was worse than ever.
Even the old residents of Guanajuato
began to avoid the place and the guides
doubled the fee charged for showing
visitors through the Railways. The au-
thorities found they had not acted wisely
hut no other course of action could be
thought of, and so they passed law
prohibiting people from visiting the mon
estery. Since then it has been closed
to ali tourists and the gruesome spec
tacle can only be contemplated by the
priests.