Whoever dies here does not decompose

There is one city In South America, where you die without dying. Or rather, where the body of the deceased becomes one mummy. This is a fact that is so inexplicable that it is the subject of in-depth studies.

No one can explain why For such an unusual fact. On the one hand, experts struggle to find a rational and scientific explanation for mummified bodies in a completely natural way, and on the other hand, there are those who question mysticism and religion to give an answer to the unanswerable. For, at least for now.

the Ancient Egyptian mummies They showed us how to achieve this type of result once the individual leaves the earthly remains. However, in this case, it was external intervention that allowed the bodies to be perfectly preserved even after centuries. If today we know a lot about that civilization, it is also due to this specific procedure. What happens instead in Colombia So far, it has no practical basis.

Where to see “natural” San Bernardo mummies in Colombia

In a small town St. BernardIn the northern Colombian Andes, Ms. Clovesneres Bejarano kneels before a glass coffin containing the mummified body of her mother. The woman died in the early 1990s and her remains were exhumed in 2001, but it appears she was only sleeping. Before but it seemed like he was just sleeping.

Mrs. Saturnina Torres de Pejarano She was wearing the same pink print dress and green wool sweater in which she was buried, and holding a flower in her hands. What is surprising is the amazing state of preservation of the body. Just look at her brown face and her braids and you won't believe your eyes.

Saturnina's case is not the only one in the Colombian city: in fact there are cases like this 14 bodies In total under the same conditions. The daughter is convinced that conservation is a gift From God because he lived a particularly virtuous life. There are many who have read this rewarding aspect of religion, but many argue just the opposite, that it is one and the same punishment divine.

This phenomenon began in 1963When the first mummified body was discovered in the local cemetery. Since then, so many others have popped up in similar circumstances, that the city has set up a center museum to display.

Why does someone who dies here become a mummy: possible causes

Despite numerous studies, the exact cause of this spontaneous mummification remains unsolved puzzle. The particular climatic conditions of the area can affect obtaining this type of result. According to the anthropologist Daniela Betancourt From the National University of Colombia The humidity and hot winds that constantly blow over the city of San Bernardo and in the area of ​​the cemetery can create an effect that turns graves into a cemetery. Natural oven Which dries objects, allowing them to be preserved in an ideal and unnatural shape. However, the role of tombs seems central, as no case of mummification has been recorded before the 1960s, when the tomb had not yet been built. The latter stands on a steep slope which favors the action of moderate winds on objects.

Since the 1980s there have been approx 50 mummies per year, without distinction between age, gender and body type. A large number cannot be random. The local community often chooses not to cremate mummified bodies, preferring to preserve them as relics.

The Colombian case does not differ from what also happens in other parts of the planet in terms of popular beliefs, as happened with… Vampire graves In Poland, just to give an example. Despite the scientific evidence that supports this thesis, Hala puzzlefueled mainly by the religiosity of the local population, who did not succumb to the interpretation of non-divine nature.