Ancient bodies that defy decomposition: The enigma of the eternal strength of mummies in Venezuela

The Black Death struck the Venezuelan people in the 14th century. Many people died from this highly contagious disease that caused enough torment to bury all the bodies

The villager put the 42 bodies that could not be buried in the cemetery into a box and stored them in the basement of St. Michael’s chapel.

When they opened the coffin, the dead bodies were mummified. People believed that God’s testament was to send their living ancestors to protect the people was God’s will.

The mummies were treated very well as elders in the village, and this tradition lasted until 1950. American photographer Jack Birns took photos of the villagers’ daily life with the mummies and published them in Time Life magazine.

Venzone’s mummy photos became a worldwide phenomenon. However, to mummify a body, all the organs must be removed and an embalming treatment must be carried out to prevent desiccation.

After the 1976 earthquake, only 15 mummies have been preserved. They are now kept in the Crypt of the Cemetery Chapel.