17 Unusual Urban Legends Behind the World’s Most Iconic Landmarks

17. The Screaming Mummies of Guanajuato (Mexico)

The Mummies of Guanajuato, housed in a museum in Mexico, are some of the best-preserved naturally mummified bodies in the world—but what makes them terrifying is not just their preserved state, but their expressions. Unlike traditional mummies, these bodies appear frozen in anguish, their mouths open in eternal screams. According to legend, the mummies were victims of a curse or a plague that struck the town in the 19th century. Some believe they were buried alive, their last moments captured in the expressions still visible today. Museum visitors and staff claim that at night, the mummies seem to shift ever so slightly in their glass cases, and on rare occasions, low whispers and muffled cries can be heard coming from the halls. One particularly chilling tale tells of a security guard who resigned after seeing one of the mummies move. He described it as a slow, unnatural twitch—as if it were trying to get up.