Canarias once again requests Madrid to return one of the best-preserved Guanche mummies in existence. The Canarian Tamaimos Foundation demands the mummy stolen 260 years ago and displayed in the National Archaeological Museum (Madrid) to be returned to the islands “in order to give it dignified treatment like any human being”.
In a statement, Tamaimos claims that with the proposal of the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, to decolonize museums, “optimal conditions are in place for historical justice to be finally served and for this xaxo (the name used in the Canaries for mummified bodies), stolen in 1764 and given as a gift to Carlos III, to be returned.
The Museum of Nature and Archeology (MUNA) of Santa Cruz de Tenerife presented in November 2022 a module displaying a faithful replica of this piece. The original, despite the efforts of the Tenerife Cabildo, remains in the capital of Spain.
It is one of the five Guanche mummies that were housed in the National Museum of Anthropology in Madrid in the 1970s. This one was transferred to the National Archaeological Museum when the others returned to Tenerife. The rejection of the requests since then has been due to “technical and conservation reasons.”
The authentic Guanche mummy from the Archaeological Museum of Madrid located in the MUNA of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. / Andrés Gutiérrez
According to the Tamaimos Foundation, if the xaxo were to arrive in the Canaries, “a reasonable amount of time must be guaranteed to carry out the relevant scientific research, without exposing the body.” “During this period, essential studies and sample collections would be carried out, which would contribute to the advancement of knowledge about our history,” the Foundation adds.
According to the Tamaimos Foundation, “optimal conditions are in place for historical justice to be finally served and for this xaxo, stolen in 1764 and given as a gift to Carlos III, to be returned.”
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For the collective, this process, which must involve experts in archaeology, anthropology, and other academic disciplines, as well as the Canarian civil society, would also serve another purpose: “To decide the place and manner in which this Guanche xaxo must be restituted to the space from which it was plundered.”
Tenerife Cabildo has been the administration that has made the most claims for this mummy. Additionally, it has the best collection of aboriginal remains in the Canaries: the one exhibited at the MUNA. The piece at the National Archaeological Museum originates, moreover, from Tenerife. Specifically, it was taken from Barranco de Eques in Arico, and it is believed to have belonged to the great burial cave where hundreds of them were found in the last third of the 18th century.
It is characterized by having particular archaeological value, as it perfectly reflects the Guanche mummification method, as well as the physical characteristics of these aborigines, according to the information provided by the island institution.
The mummy was presumably found in the Erques ravine, in the south of Tenerife, between the municipalities of Fasnia and Güímar. It arrived in Madrid in the 18th century as a gift to King Carlos III. Initially, it was in the Royal Library.
The best-preserved Guanche mummy to have reached our days, the one exhibited since 2015 in the Canary Islands hall of the National Archaeological Museum (MAN), revealed one of its last secrets in 2019 after two and a half centuries of being moved from museum to museum in Madrid: it is 850 years old.
The authentic Guanche mummy from Madrid found in the MUNA of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. / Andrés Gutiérrez
The MAN published in a bulletin the first Carbon-14 dating carried out on these human remains since they were recovered from a cave in the Erques ravine in Tenerife in 1763 and taken to the court of Carlos III, precisely to show to the society of Madrid the astonishing skill of the Guanches.The Evolution of the Guanche mummy: from its discovery to its current resting place
The Guanche mummy, a preserved corpse, has had an interesting journey over the years. It passed through various locations such as the house of the town councilor Francisco Javier Machado (1764), the Museum of Antiquities of the Royal Library (1766), the Royal Cabinet of Natural History (1771, later renamed the Museum of Natural Sciences, 1815), the National Museum of Anthropology (1910) and finally found its place at the National Archaeological Museum in 2015, where it remains today. It even made an appearance at the Universal Exhibition of Paris in 1878.
The mummy, also known as the xaxo, has been described as “out of place” and lacking the attention it deserves. Its situation was even worse when it was housed at the Museum of Anthropology. The Physical Anthropology Hall where it was displayed was a collection of oddities from the 18th century, showcasing various sculptures, skeletal specimens, and the Guanche mummy, all seemingly detached from their original context.
The transition of the Guanche mummy to the National Archaeological Museum in 2015 came after years of lobbying by scientific and political authorities of Tenerife. This move was accompanied by a series of studies shedding light on the identity of the individual and the preservation techniques used by the Guanches, referred to as “mirlado.”
The studies revealed intriguing details about the mummy, such as its age, gender, height, and remarkably well-preserved dentition. These findings suggest that the individual held a prominent position in the society of Tenerife’s early inhabitants.
The examination of the mummy’s dental condition, indicative of good nutrition, and its well-preserved hands, along with the high-quality mirlado process, led researchers to infer the individual’s social status among the first settlers of Tenerife.
Furthermore, there is an ongoing discourse concerning the repatriation, restitution, and reparation of historical colonial injustices, with the Foundation Tamaimos joining the call for the return of the Guanche mummy to the Canary Islands. They argue that this presents an opportunity not only for the native populations to reclaim their stolen remains but also to challenge the display of indigenous bodies in island museums.
The Foundation Tamaimos emphasizes the importance of the Canary Islands playing a significant role in this process, as it has been affected by colonialism since the earliest stages of human history.
The Guanche mummy’s journey is not just a historical tale but a reflection of the ongoing dialogue surrounding the preservation and rightful treatment of indigenous remains in today’s society.
