South American Scream Mummy

Throughout Latin America mummies have been found from colonial and pre-Columbian times with the same horrific pose and expression. These mummies did not die screaming but were preserved in an unusual fashion that made the scream much later. Traditionally the bodies were bundled, wrists bound under the chin (the position and placement of the writs would denote status), knees pressed against the chest and the whole body wrapped in cloth. Unlike European and Egyptian burial practices the jaw wasn't wired or tied shut. Over time the jaw muscles decayed and the jaw dropped from the skull, held on only by the stretched leather skin. The mummies of royals and high priests were brought out in chariots and sat on thrones during holidays. The poor would be rented their burial plots and exhumed once the family stopped paying. The greatest collection of scream mummies is on display in Guanajuato, Mexico.