Guanche mummies

Guanche mummies (Canarian Spanish: xaxos, formerly 'ʃaʃos; mirlados, "embalmed ones"; enzurronados, "leather-bagged ones") are the intentionally desiccated remains of members of the indigenous Berber Guanche people of the Tenerife. The Guanche mummies were made during the eras prior to Spanish settlement of the area in the 15th century. The methods of embalming are similar to those that were used by the Ancient Egyptians, though fewer mummies remain from the Guanche due to looting and desecration. Mummification on the Canary Islands during the Guanche period remained confined to Tenerife. In Gran Canaria there is currently a debate on the true nature of the mummies of the ancient inhabitants of the island, as researchers point out that there was no real intention to mummify the deceased and that the good conservation of some of them is due rather to environmental factors. In La Palma they were preserved by these environmental factors and in La Gomera, and El Hierro the existence of mummification is not verified. In Lanzarote and Fuerteventura this practice is ruled out. The most well-preserved, and therefore the most thoroughly-studied, mummies were found on Tenerife. In 1933, the Guanche necropolis of Uchova was discovered in the municipality of San Miguel de Abona in southern Tenerife. It is estimated that it contained between 60 and 74 mummies before the cemetery was almost completely looted. Physical examination of the Guanche mummies of Tenerife found that they were quite tall. On average, the males stood 1.70 m and the females were 1.57 m in height. They were also generally of robust constitution. The oldest mummified remains of the Canary Islands are from the 3rd century CE and were found on Tenerife. Medieval Spanish explorers arriving in the islands during the 14th century reported the Guanche buried individuals of low social status in sandy graves, while upper class members were mummified and laid to rest in secluded caves. One of these mortuary caves may have held up to 1,000 mummies, however, many of these have disappeared with only 20 complete mummies left on the islands.