This morning started a bit unscheduled only because it was the 4th day since the little Japanese bugs had to incubate fully and attack my immune system with gusto and I awoke feeling stuffed, coughing and achy.  In a word, rotten!  But we decided to push on with plans to visit the largest cemetery in GTO called Panteon Santa Paula.  Yes, how could we not, and next door was the famous Mummy Museum.

    We headed out at about ten when the city is usually starting to come alive. It was interesting to see many school children outfitted in full Los Muertos regalia with faces painted like skeletons. Local schools must allow for a dress-up day.

    Consulting Google Maps, the walk to the cemetery seemed a reasonable, flat 1.5 miles; but after being told by various locals which particular street to take, we ended up following
a very convoluted course that was anything but flat, going up then down then around and almost doubling our distance.  In fact and older lady seeing us trudging uphill at one point shook her head when she heard our story and said we had been given "loco" directions. 

    Finally, we made it to the mummies resting place.  Why and how, you're thinking, are there mummies in Guanajuato?  Here's a brief summary.  During the 1800's in GTO a burial tax was imposed by the city fathers; however, not only did you pay once but yearly there after.  Many poor families could not afford to pay, so to make more room for new occupants waiting to get in, local officials exhumed the non-paying tenants. But to the surprise of the gravediggers, the bodies were somehow mummified and had not completely turned to skeletal remains.  Because GTO has a very arid climate and because the soil at Santa Paula acts as a natural desiccant, the bodies still had some dried skin, flesh, hair and clothes!  There were a total of about 150 bodies exhumed, including men, women and children, with about 50 on display in museum.  The local government realized that by sharing the remains with the public in display cases and charging a modest admission, they would create a nice cash cow!  

More Los Muertos decorations at entrance to hotel

This striking art is on a shelf as you climb stairs to our apt.

Saw this lovely lady in Jardin de la Union

The same lady later having escaped the dinosaur ends up in lions den!

 One of the many display cases in Mummy Museum