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The Legend of the Mummy of Tolosa: Whose Perfectly Preserved Body Earned Worship
🇦🇷 Argentina /Culture & Society

The Legend of the Mummy of Tolosa: Whose Perfectly Preserved Body Earned Worship

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Matías Behety, a Uruguayan writer and poet, gained local fame in La Plata, Argentina, as "the mummy of Tolosa" due to his remarkably preserved body after burial.
  • Behety, born in Montevideo in 1849, moved to Argentina, studied law, and pursued a literary career, earning praise from Domingo Faustino Sarmiento.
  • His life took a downturn after his fiancée's death, leading to a period of decline, drinking, and eventual burial in the municipal cemetery, where his body's preservation became a local legend.

La Plata, Argentina, a city founded in 1882 with Masonic influences, holds many myths, including the legend of "the mummy of Tolosa." This moniker belongs to Matías Behety, a Uruguayan writer whose body remained remarkably intact years after his burial, leading to local veneration.

Behety, born in Montevideo in 1849, moved to Argentina with his family and excelled academically, earning a scholarship to study law. He also developed a passion for poetry, publishing works in various newspapers and literary magazines. His early talent even earned him the nickname "golden child" from Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, who recognized his versatility in law and literature.

This news destroys him emotionally, despite his friends' attempts to help him. It is said that he stopped eating, that he didn't sleep, that he wandered through life and lost the will to live.

— Nicolás ColomboResearcher Nicolás Colombo explains the personal tragedy that befell Matías Behety after his fiancée's death.

However, Behety's life was profoundly affected by personal tragedy. The death of his fiancée, María Lamberti, from a stomach ailment, devastated him. According to researcher Nicolás Colombo, Behety lost his will to live, abandoned journalism, and turned to drinking. He worked as a procurator, barely earning enough to survive, and frequented taverns.

He died of tuberculosis in 1885 and was buried in La Plata's municipal cemetery. It was there that his body's unusual state of preservation after years underground transformed him into a local legend, the "mummy of Tolosa," a testament to the enduring mysteries within the city's storied streets.

golden child

— Domingo Faustino SarmientoDomingo Faustino Sarmiento's description of Matías Behety, highlighting his versatile talent.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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