Spain's national museums remove mummies and human body parts from display

Spain's national museums today began removing mummies and other human remains from display, as part of a "letter of commitment" undertaken by all institutions and which follows the guidelines of the ICOM Code of Ethics.

According to the International Council of Museums (ICOM) code, last revised in 2004, "collections of human remains are included among delicate cultural materials, which must be treated with respect and dignity and in accordance with the interests and beliefs of the communities and ethnic or religious groups of origin", reads the "Charter of commitment for the ethical treatment of human remains" drawn up and adopted by the Spanish Ministry of Culture and the 16 state museums that are under the supervision of the Spanish central government.

The letter was published today on the websites of the 16 museums and the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid announced that it began work on Monday to remove from one of its exhibition rooms the famous Guanche Mummy, belonging to a man from the Guanche culture, the inhabitants of the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, Spain.

This mummy has been claimed by the authorities of Tenerife and the Canary Islands, who are asking for it to be returned to the island of origin, but sources from the Spanish Ministry of Culture, cited by local media, limited themselves to saying today that it is being removed from the national museum exhibition to be placed in storage.

In addition to the Guanche Mummy, the Museum of America, also in Madrid, announced that mummies from Peru will be removed from the public exhibition rooms today.

According to a report by the Spanish Ministry of Culture cited by the newspaper La Vanguardia, the country's 16 state museums have 14,845 human remains (including complete bodies and body parts) in their custody.

The majority - 10,060 - are in the National Archaeological Museum, followed by the Anthropology Museum (4,448).

The same sources from the Ministry of Culture, cited by the EFE news agency, believe that "within a few days" all human remains on display in national museums will be stored in storage.

In the "letter of commitment" released today by the Ministry and the 16 museums, it is stated that, in addition to the ICOM code of ethics, "current ethical reflection on their custody and exhibition" also contributed to this decision to remove mummies and other human remains from exhibition.

At issue is the debate surrounding the custody and exhibition of so-called "colonial objects" by European museums or of human bodies and body parts in disregard of the traditions of the communities from which they originate, among other issues.

In the document released today, the 16 Spanish state museums assume "the general principle of not publicly displaying human remains".

"On an exceptional basis, public exhibition may be assessed when it is essential to transmit the knowledge that is intended to be shown", as long as they are "correctly documented and contextualized, knowing their origin and particular history".

On the other hand, only "technical staff" of museums, previously authorized researchers and people or groups duly accredited as belonging to "the community or ethnic or religious group of origin" will be able to access these human remains.

Museums will also analyze on a case-by-case basis the possibility of removing images of the same human remains from their respective dissemination channels and digital catalogs, "explaining the ethical reasons for this change."

On the other hand, they will no longer accept new human remains in their respective collections, unless there is a judicial resolution to the contrary or in "exceptional circumstances" that will have to be justified by various entities.

Some national museums in Spain had already adopted in 2022 a "letter of commitment on the treatment of human remains" which led, for example, to the remodelling of exhibition rooms or the removal, from the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid, of the skeleton of Agustín Luengo, known as "the giant from Extremadura", and of mummies of people from Atacama (Chile), in respect of the will of the community of origin, which opposes the exhibition of their ancestors.

With the letter published today, this commitment extends to all state museums that have human remains in their collections.

Spain's national museums today began removing mummies and other human remains from display, as part of a "letter of commitment" undertaken by all institutions and which follows the guidelines of the ICOM Code of Ethics.

According to the International Council of Museums (ICOM) code, last revised in 2004, "collections of human remains are included among delicate cultural materials, which must be treated with respect and dignity and in accordance with the interests and beliefs of the communities and ethnic or religious groups of origin", reads the "Charter of commitment for the ethical treatment of human remains" drawn up and adopted by the Spanish Ministry of Culture and the 16 state museums that are under the supervision of the Spanish central government.

The letter was published today on the websites of the 16 museums and the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid announced that it began work on Monday to remove from one of its exhibition rooms the famous Guanche Mummy, belonging to a man from the Guanche culture, the inhabitants of the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, Spain.

This mummy has been claimed by the authorities of Tenerife and the Canary Islands, who are asking for it to be returned to the island of origin, but sources from the Spanish Ministry of Culture, cited by local media, limited themselves to saying today that it is being removed from the national museum exhibition to be placed in storage.

In addition to the Guanche Mummy, the Museum of America, also in Madrid, announced that mummies from Peru will be removed from the public exhibition rooms today.

According to a report by the Spanish Ministry of Culture cited by the newspaper La Vanguardia, the country's 16 state museums have 14,845 human remains (including complete bodies and body parts) in their custody.

The majority - 10,060 - are in the National Archaeological Museum, followed by the Anthropology Museum (4,448).

The same sources from the Ministry of Culture, cited by the EFE news agency, believe that "within a few days" all human remains on display in national museums will be stored in storage.

In the "letter of commitment" released today by the Ministry and the 16 museums, it is stated that, in addition to the ICOM code of ethics, "current ethical reflection on their custody and exhibition" also contributed to this decision to remove mummies and other human remains from exhibition.

At issue is the debate surrounding the custody and exhibition of so-called "colonial objects" by European museums or of human bodies and body parts in disregard of the traditions of the communities from which they originate, among other issues.

In the document released today, the 16 Spanish state museums assume "the general principle of not publicly displaying human remains".

"On an exceptional basis, public exhibition may be assessed when it is essential to transmit the knowledge that is intended to be shown", as long as they are "correctly documented and contextualized, knowing their origin and particular history".

On the other hand, only "technical staff" of museums, previously authorized researchers and people or groups duly accredited as belonging to "the community or ethnic or religious group of origin" will be able to access these human remains.

Museums will also analyze on a case-by-case basis the possibility of removing images of the same human remains from their respective dissemination channels and digital catalogs, "explaining the ethical reasons for this change."

On the other hand, they will no longer accept new human remains in their respective collections, unless there is a judicial resolution to the contrary or in "exceptional circumstances" that will have to be justified by various entities.

Some national museums in Spain had already adopted in 2022 a "letter of commitment on the treatment of human remains" which led, for example, to the remodelling of exhibition rooms or the removal, from the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid, of the skeleton of Agustín Luengo, known as "the giant from Extremadura", and of mummies of people from Atacama (Chile), in respect of the will of the community of origin, which opposes the exhibition of their ancestors.

With the letter published today, this commitment extends to all state museums that have human remains in their collections.

Spain's national museums today began removing mummies and other human remains from display, as part of a "letter of commitment" undertaken by all institutions and which follows the guidelines of the ICOM Code of Ethics.

According to the International Council of Museums (ICOM) code, last revised in 2004, "collections of human remains are included among delicate cultural materials, which must be treated with respect and dignity and in accordance with the interests and beliefs of the communities and ethnic or religious groups of origin", reads the "Charter of commitment for the ethical treatment of human remains" drawn up and adopted by the Spanish Ministry of Culture and the 16 state museums that are under the supervision of the Spanish central government.

The letter was published today on the websites of the 16 museums and the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid announced that it began work on Monday to remove from one of its exhibition rooms the famous Guanche Mummy, belonging to a man from the Guanche culture, the inhabitants of the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, Spain.

This mummy has been claimed by the authorities of Tenerife and the Canary Islands, who are asking for it to be returned to the island of origin, but sources from the Spanish Ministry of Culture, cited by local media, limited themselves to saying today that it is being removed from the national museum exhibition to be placed in storage.

In addition to the Guanche Mummy, the Museum of America, also in Madrid, announced that mummies from Peru will be removed from the public exhibition rooms today.

According to a report from the Spanish Ministry of Culture cited by the newspaper La Vanguardia, the country's 16 state museums have 14,845 human remains (including complete bodies and body parts) in their custody.

The majority - 10,060 - are in the National Archaeological Museum, followed by the Anthropology Museum (4,448).

The same sources from the Ministry of Culture, cited by the EFE news agency, believe that "within a few days" all human remains on display in national museums will be stored in storage.

In the "letter of commitment" released today by the Ministry and the 16 museums, it is stated that, in addition to the ICOM code of ethics, "current ethical reflection on their custody and exhibition" also contributed to this decision to remove mummies and other human remains from exhibition.

At issue is the debate surrounding the custody and exhibition of so-called "colonial objects" by European museums or of human bodies and body parts in disregard of the traditions of the communities from which they originate, among other issues.

In the document released today, the 16 Spanish state museums assume "the general principle of not publicly displaying human remains".

"On an exceptional basis, public exhibition may be assessed when it is essential to transmit the knowledge that is intended to be shown", as long as they are "correctly documented and contextualized, knowing their origin and particular history".

On the other hand, only "technical staff" of museums, previously authorized researchers and people or groups duly accredited as belonging to "the community or ethnic or religious group of origin" will be able to access these human remains.

Museums will also analyze on a case-by-case basis the possibility of removing images of the same human remains from their respective dissemination channels and digital catalogs, "explaining the ethical reasons for this change."

On the other hand, they will no longer accept new human remains in their respective collections, unless there is a judicial resolution to the contrary or in "exceptional circumstances" that will have to be justified by various entities.

Some national museums in Spain had already adopted in 2022 a "letter of commitment on the treatment of human remains" which led, for example, to the remodelling of exhibition rooms or the removal, from the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid, of the skeleton of Agustín Luengo, known as "the giant from Extremadura", and of mummies of people from Atacama (Chile), in respect of the will of the community of origin, which opposes the exhibition of their ancestors.

With the letter published today, this commitment extends to all state museums that have human remains in their collections.