La Pascualita – The Mexican Corpse Bride

Just in time for Halloween, I bring you La Pascualita, the Mexican Corpse Bride.

Here is an excerpt of the linked article at OddityCentral:

La Pascualita was first installed in the store window on March 25th, 1930, dressed in a spring-seasonal bridal gown. The effect was instantaneous. People simply could not tear their sight away from this new mannequin, with the wide-set glass eyes, real hair and blushing skin tone. Soon, they realized that the mannequin closely resembled the shop’s owner at the time, Pascuala Esparza. It didn’t take long for them to come to the conclusion that the dummy was in fact the embalmed body of her daughter, who had died recently on her wedding day after being bitten by a Black Widow spider. This revelation did not go very well with the locals, and they started to express their disapproval. But by the time Pascuala could issue an official statement denying the rumors, it was too late. Nobody was willing to believer her. The daughter’s name has been lost over time, and ‘La Pascualita’ stuck through the years.

La Pascualita - The Mexican Corpse Bride - The Unexplained Mysteries

Oddity Central - La Pascualita

There are competing legends regarding this woman's death, one of which states that there was a judge that wanted her for himself, and if she wouldn't marry him, no one would, and he shot her.

Another claims that her mother killed her fiance and in her sorrow, La Pascualita threw herself from a cliff to her death.

When her clothing is changed, it is done behind curtains, raising speculation that the current shop owners are hiding the fact that she is, in fact, a dummy. Others feel that the owners are being respectful and keeping her naked body from the public.

Still others claim that the only parts of the real corpse that were preserved were the hands and the head.

"Every time I go near Pascualita my hands break out in a sweat," shopworker Sonia Burciaga said.

"Her hands are very realistic and she even has varicose veins on her legs. I believe she's a real person."

I'm not sure which story is the truth, but I'm leaning toward it being an extremely well-made dummy, though those hands are incredible.

Have any of you seen this mannequin in person? What was your impression of it?

No matter what you believe about La Pascualita, the folklore is wonderful, and the possibility of it being true is just enough to keep hundreds visiting the shop year after year.

I dunno... those hands. The head and face could swing either way.. real or fake. Those hands though..

I collect carnival gaffs... and if this is a dummy those hands are the most perfect mock Ive EVER seen. The other issue with it being real is that embalming doesnt behave like you would think Without getting gross.. she would rot and you could smell her a mile away even if embalmed. embalmed corpses mold up. I am just positive over the amt of time they are talkng about with this "corpse" she would require constant demolding.. and you could see the damage from that alone. Not to mention the odor. There are a few preservation techniques that would give a short term "incorruptible" but nothing lasts forever... and I guarantee her family or anyone else there could afford those techniques... or even find one in that country that was learned in them.

FANTASTIC story!! I love this macabre stuff!

ETA.. one day Ill tell ya about the amazing mummified monkey I bought at auction once.

Advantage
I dunno... those hands. The head and face could swing either way.. real or fake. Those hands though..

I agree, her hands are just amazing. If they're fake, they're the best I've ever seen.

Your pics doesn´t really show the doll as what she is .. a doll
If you google this you see other images what is obvious this doll has a way too long neck to be a real person.

She has great detail concerning her hands but lacks of workmanship in her face and neck.. maybe it´s only hands which "might" be real..

There can be a real art when making dolls like newborn doll babies

dollukka
Your pics doesn´t really show the doll as what she is .. a doll

Those were the pics that the two sites that I went to, had. I didn't bother looking further into it via google because I felt that the folklore that revolves around the mannequin, the accounts of those present and specifically the hands were worth a thread here.

I love this kind of stuff, and wish my own area had more of it.