La Pascualita is the name given to a bridal mannequin in the city of Chihuahua, Mexico. According to the legend, however, it isn’t a dummy at all, but the dead daughter of the former owner.
History of Pascualita
It is said that in 1930 the daughter of Pascuala Esparza, the owner of a bridal gown shop was just about to get married. Her mother had prepared a beautiful wedding dress for her and intense preparation for the ceremony was undergoing.
The cruel fate would have it, however, that right before heading to the church, the young Pascualita was bitten by a black widow, dying in her mother’s arms.
Pascuala, inconsolable, is said to have taken the body of her daughter from the authorities, to have embalmed her body and then exposed it as a mannequin in her shop in order to always have her Pascualita at her side.
People passing in front of the shop window remained enchanted by the beauty of the mannequin and the rumors started to spread.
Was it perhaps not true that the daughter of the owner had just recently died? And didn’t that mannequin closely resembled Pascualita, the deceased daughter?
That was enough to convince people that the dummy was actually an embalmed corpse.
Pascuala Esparza died and the store passed from one generation to another, nevertheless Pascualita remains there, displayed in the shop window, mesmerizing passersby.
Some say the mannequin shifts positions by itself; others claim that its gaze follows them.
Hypothesis
Pascualita’s outfits are changed twice a week behind closed curtainsand the shop workers swear to always feel uncomfortable whenever they go nearby.
But other than the legend, what makes people think that Pascualita is actually a corpse? The answer lies in the incredibly realistic-looking features of the dummy, which features amazing details.
The hands are especially detailed, presenting even fingerprints.
But is it possible that a corpse can remain so well preserved for more than 70 years?
If you think about the special effects used in horror movies it is not hard to think that it could indeed be a well-done mannequin, used for advertising purposes.
But it is important to keep in mind that it was manufactured in the ‘30s, when perhaps current techniques were not yet known.
However, what was known in those years was embalming techniques and perfect petrification. On this topic you can read the articles regarding Rosalia Lombardo, the little Marquis Longhi and Girolamo Segato.
