A bridal shop in Mexico has been the center of controversy and rumors for over 85 years.
The well-known shop, La Popular, made headlines starting in 1930, when a very realistic mannequin appeared in the window. It was so life-like, people came from all over to see. The detailed fingers, the real human hair, it was all so mesmerizing and realistic.
Too realistic.
Visitors started to note the uncanny resemblance to the store owner's daughter, who had recently passed away on her wedding day from a Black Widow spider bite. Pascuala Esparza, the owner, was said to have embalmed her daughter's corpse and used it as a mannequin. Esparza denied the rumors, but it didn't stop people from wondering.
Now, 75 years later, La Pascualita (as the mannequin is known), is still standing at La Popular in Mexico. The debates are still ongoing as to whether she is real, or just really creepy.
But the closeup images may be the best evidence there is.
There have been many stories about the bride moving positions on her own and her gaze following you around the store. One store worker, Sonia Burciaga, truly believes La Pascualita is real. She's responsible for changing the 'mannequin' twice a week.
"Every time I go near Pascualita my hands break out in a sweat. Her hands are very realistic and she even has varicose veins on her legs. I believe she's a real person."
A lot of people are skeptical of the corpse bride, however. The upkeep to stop the corpse from decaying would be too much and after 75 years there's no way she could look this real. But anyone who has seen La Pascualita in person is a believer.
JUST LOOK AT THE HANDS!!!!!
One funeral director put in his two cents on the situation and brings to light these points:
Embalming
"Sure, an embalmed body might last a couple years, but for it to be kept in pristine condition, it would have to be continuously cared for by people with some degree of technical skill."
Climate
"Moisture is the kryptonite of an embalmed corpse. The fact that La Pascualita exists in a semiarid environment does help the argument that it's an embalmed corpse."
Hands
"If La Pascualita is a wax mannequin or any other type of mannequin, the hands are just too intricate."
This was the funeral director's final take on La Pascualita:
"It simply looks too good to be a 75 year old embalming job. If the corpse is meticulously maintained, I suppose it's possible (especially in a semiarid environment), but it highly unlikely. Honestly, though, those hands are the mystery for me. They just look too real."
I'm convinced this thing is real. No one puts that much effort into a mannequin's fingernails.
Do you think La Pascualita is real? Or just really creepy?