The practice of embalming the dead can be seen in many cultures of the world among societies of different religious beliefs. However, these beliefs shared a common ground: To preserve the body from decay through artificial means. This practice brought about a series of rituals —some complex, others simple— that were supported by the concept that humans were made of body and soul, and could only achieve eternal joy by preserving the material part. Therefore, societies that believed that the soul continued to exist and that life did not end with the death of the body, developed the idea of embalming the corpse to preserve the soul and help the deceased in its passage to the ever after.

        Of all the societies that practiced the ritual of embalming, perhaps Ancient Egyptians were the most refined. The treatment of the body varied with time, but also according to the status of each individual. This custom spread among the Assyrians, the Jews, the Persians, the Scythians and even among the Greeks and Romans that later established in Egypt, becoming one of the funerary practices that greatly attract people’s attention. At present, mummy studies are one of the most interesting topics of research that deal with humans and their cultures. This was evident during the First World Congress on Mummy Studies that took place in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in February of 1992. It was the first time that such a meeting brought together a big group of scientists working in a variety of fields in more that twenty countries of Europe, North America, South America and the Near East.

        And ever since that meeting, the World Congress on Mummy Studies has taken place successively in Cartagena de Indias (1995), Arica (1998), Greenland (2001) and Turin (2004). The World Congress on Mummy Studies provides a favorable environment for the exchange of research data among anthropologists, archaeologists, conservation specialists, ethnologists, geneticists and scientists working in other fields of inquiry.

        We will host the VI World Congress on Mummy Studies in February of 2007, this time in the Canary Island of Lanzarote. This is, undoubtedly, one of the most remarkable islands of Macaronesia for its contrasting volcanic landscapes. We are certain that a great number of scientists involved in several fields of mummy studies will visit us then.