The statue of Jesus Christ, which is kept in one of the churches in Mexico, amazed scientists, who decided to examine it using X-rays. The figure of a suffering Christ with bleeding wounds on his body looks somewhat frightening. However, researchers were even more frightened when they found her human teeth.
According to the BBC, experts who have this 18th-century monument in storage found eight teeth in the statue's mouth, which belonged to an adult. The Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History has confirmed this.
"Most likely, the teeth were donated by someone as a token of gratitude," said restorer Fanny Unique. Statues of saints in human hair wigs were found in other parts of Mexico, she said. Some parishioners simply donated their hair to this need, just as others donated money or clothing. But the teeth and nails of the statues were usually made from the bones and horns of animals. “This is the first time that human teeth have been found in a sculpture,” said the restorer.
However, according to her, there is nothing surprising in this. “This statue is made in a very naturalistic way, so if its author could get human teeth, it is not surprising that he used them,” the expert explained.
Even the roots of the teeth are visible on the X-ray, so there is no doubt that they are real. However, they are perfectly preserved. It is possible that the teeth belonged to a person who was considered a saint.
This 300-year-old statue is said to be very popular in Mexico. However, most of the time she is in the church, and they take her out only during Holy Week, in order, according to tradition, to carry her along the city streets.