Embalming in Aborigine Societies

Plaster figure of a man in a reclining position, displayed in a museum.

Aboriginal Canarian Embalming: History and Rituals

What was Canarian aboriginal embalming?

The Canarian aboriginal embalming was a funeral practice reserved for certain social groups and documented mainly in Tenerife and Gran Canaria before the Castilian conquest. Unlike what occurred in Ancient Egypt, this process was simpler and primarily performed on high-ranking individuals, such as the menceyes of Tenerife or the nobility of Gran Canaria.

The word used by the aborigines to refer to this technique is "MIRLADO", while the finally preserved body was called "XAXO", a term that means something like "dried and hardened body."

Origin and early descriptions

The first written testimony about the Canarian aboriginal embalming it was left by Diogo Gomes de Sintra, a Portuguese sailor who visited the Canary Islands before the conquest of Gran Canaria and Tenerife. In his chronicles, he describes how the internal organs of the body were extracted and filled with butter, before being placed in caves or even thrown into the sea after a year of observation.

Fray Alonso de Espinosa, a 16th-century chronicler, detailed how the body was exposed to the sun for at least 15 days until it became "xaxo", a state of natural preservation without complex chemical products like those used in Egypt.

Interior of a cave with rocks and soil, artificially lit.

Differences with Egyptian mummification

Although they share similarities, there are significant differences between the Canarian aboriginal embalming and Egyptian mummification:

In the Canary Islands, no salts or advanced chemical substances were used.
The processes were simpler and depended on the dry climate of the islands.
It only affected the social elite, not the general populace.
There are no clear religious records associated with this practice due to the destruction of aboriginal culture during colonization.

Where was it practiced?

This practice is mainly documented in Tenerife, where the best-preserved mummies have been found, and in Gran Canaria, although there researchers debate whether the preservation of the bodies was always intentional or partly due to the climate and conditions of the caves. Additionally, each island had its own variant of the mirlado, adapting to local conditions and the status of the deceased.

The bodies were deposited in caves or hollow trunks of Canary pines, like those seen in the Museo Canario in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

caves carved into rock, ancient buildings, natural landscape, dense vegetation, archaeology

Legacy and cultural significance

Although we know a lot about the Canarian aboriginal embalming, many mysteries remain. The lack of writing and the destruction of documents during the conquest hindered a deep study of these practices. What we do know is that they reflect a special view of the body and death, where respect for ancestors played a fundamental role.

Conclusion

The Canarian aboriginal embalming is a unique example of how ancient peoples managed death and memory. This process, although different from Egyptian mummification, shows us a high level of social organization and spirituality in the aboriginal cultures of the Canary Islands.

If you want to learn more about this topic, we invite you to read our article on the Guanche mummy or the file about the mummification of the ancient Canarians from the Medusa encyclopedia of the Government of the Canary Islands.