Bug hunt finds Brazil 'mummies'
Posted by: 
saopaulo1
S 23° 31.827 W 046° 37.890
23K E 333446 N 7396810
"Workers looking for termites in a Brazilian monastery have uncovered two "mummies" thought to be 200 years old."
Waymark Code: WM3ADK
Location: Brazil
Date Posted: 03/04/2008
Views: 1
"The bodies, believed to be two nuns of a Spanish order, were found at the Roman Catholic Mosteiro da Luz - or Monastery of Light - in Sao Paulo.
Excavations have revealed that the skin of one of the bodies is well preserved, while the other is mainly skeleton, riddled with termites, reports say.
The monastery was founded in 1774 by Brazil's first saint, Antonio Galvao.
The head of the monastery, Father Armenio Rodrigues Nogueira, said the discovery was a huge surprise.
"There were some mounds of termite dust and the exterminators broke into the walls to see what was in there," he told Reuters news agency.
Mari Marino, director of the Museum of Sacred Art, told the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper that the mummies were found side by side "one with its head on the shoulder of the other".
She said one had preserved skin, shoes and hands together in the "Amen position". The other was mostly skeleton...."
Type of publication: Internet Only
When was the article reported?: 02/27/2008
Publication: BBC
Article Url: [Web Link]
Is Registration Required?: no
How widespread was the article reported?: international
News Category: Society/People
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