- With a few
notable exceptions, Mummies from North
America are almost always accidental mummies. They include:
-
 Some
Native American tribes, especially
those in the southwest, often buried their dead in caves and cliff dwellings.
The dry protected environment of the cave helped turn the bodies into
mummies. Perhaps
only a few hundred years old at most when they were discovered, these mummies were often
put on display as curiosities in museums (it is fortunately now against the law to do
this).
A frozen mummy from Canada, called the
North American Ice Man by the media, was an important find.
- Much
less important, but worth knowing, is the mummy of the infamous Elmer
McCurdy.
-
- And
don't forget the Lemon Grove
mummies that were stolen from Mexico by two teenagers and are displayed
at the Museum of Man in San Diego.
-
- And according to Dave Reichelt, curator of the Pecos Rio Grande
Museum (www.pecosrio.com), a
prehistoric child who died around 2,000 years ago is now on display in the Virtual Pecos
Rio Grande Museum. The museum will one day be located in Del Rio, Texas; until then,
you may visit part of the collection on the web. Be sure to visit the entire
website, because it is a valuable site.
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