Main points of the story
- An American couple, Joseph and Marie go on holiday to Mexico. Joseph 'surprises' Marie by taking her to the city of Guanajuato, by which Marie is deeply unsettled.
- From their hotel room they witness the procession of a child which Joseph is interested in but Marie is horrified.
- They visit a cemetery which is covered in candle wax, wilted flowers, and torn decorations likely following some manner of 'day of the dead' celebration.
- They are brought by a cemetery worker for five pesos to the crypt wherein lies the mummified bodies of people who's families could not continue paying the rent for the graves.
- While Joseph takes pictures in excitement and plans a book about them, Marie is panicked, and hears the voices of the corpses wailing about the manners in which they died.
- One mummy is described as having desperate hands, a gaping mouth, and wild hair; its explained she was buried alive, which deeply disturbs Marie, as well as the manner in which they are all lined closely against the wall.
- Later, Joseph is eating sweets shaped like skulls, and finds one with Marie's name.
- Marie desperately wants to leave Guanajuato but their car breaks down, leaving them stuck for another few days.
- Joseph finds Marie in their room naked and mimicking the pose of the buried alive mummy. Marie thinks of the room as long, and oblong, like a coffin. She begs Joseph not to knock on the door, to instead call to be let in.
- The story ends with Joseph bringing another woman to see the crypt with the mummies. Its revealed that this is one year later, and Marie is now among the line of mummies after being buried alive. Joseph takes a picture of her.
- From their hotel room they witness the procession of a child which Joseph is interested in but Marie is horrified.
- They visit a cemetery which is covered in candle wax, wilted flowers, and torn decorations likely following some manner of 'day of the dead' celebration.
- They are brought by a cemetery worker for five pesos to the crypt wherein lies the mummified bodies of people who's families could not continue paying the rent for the graves.
- While Joseph takes pictures in excitement and plans a book about them, Marie is panicked, and hears the voices of the corpses wailing about the manners in which they died.
- One mummy is described as having desperate hands, a gaping mouth, and wild hair; its explained she was buried alive, which deeply disturbs Marie, as well as the manner in which they are all lined closely against the wall.
- Later, Joseph is eating sweets shaped like skulls, and finds one with Marie's name.
- Marie desperately wants to leave Guanajuato but their car breaks down, leaving them stuck for another few days.
- Joseph finds Marie in their room naked and mimicking the pose of the buried alive mummy. Marie thinks of the room as long, and oblong, like a coffin. She begs Joseph not to knock on the door, to instead call to be let in.
- The story ends with Joseph bringing another woman to see the crypt with the mummies. Its revealed that this is one year later, and Marie is now among the line of mummies after being buried alive. Joseph takes a picture of her.
Contextual/historical notes
- The practice of renting graves and the disinterring of bodies rain in Guanajuato from 1870, following a cholera outbreak, until 1958. Marie references her need for nondescript pills, which can be assumed to be antidepressants or antipsychotics, placing the story in the mid 1950s.
- Per Wikipedia; 'The climate of Guanajuato provides an environment which can lead to a type of natural mummification, although scientific studies later revealed that some bodies had been at least partially embalmed. By the 1900s the mummies began attracting tourists. Cemetery workers began charging people a few pesos to enter the building where bones and mummies were stored.'
- In 1950s America car ownership boomed alongside US-centric tourism industry in Mexico, so it can be presumed Joseph and Marie were of an average-middle class.
- Per Wikipedia; 'The climate of Guanajuato provides an environment which can lead to a type of natural mummification, although scientific studies later revealed that some bodies had been at least partially embalmed. By the 1900s the mummies began attracting tourists. Cemetery workers began charging people a few pesos to enter the building where bones and mummies were stored.'
- In 1950s America car ownership boomed alongside US-centric tourism industry in Mexico, so it can be presumed Joseph and Marie were of an average-middle class.
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Artists of note
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Junji Ito
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Gustave Dore
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Bernie Wrightson
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Emily Carroll
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Charles Keeping
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Barry Moser
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Development
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Outcomes
