In 1912, Emilio Bacardí Moreau, a son of the founder of the Bacardí Rum Company, launched a personal expedition to Europe and the Middle East for the purchase of numerous antiquities, in particular an authentic Egyptian mummy (and original sarcophagus) that he and his wife, Elvira Cape, hoped to put on display at the newly founded historical museum of Santiago de Cuba. Bacardí’s vision for preserving Cuba’s national treasures through the price of admission to see the mummy succeeded, perhaps more than he ever anticipated, although the climate controls and resources required for contemporary preservation in recent years have declined, despite local curators’ commitment. Santiago de Cuba, 2016
Authentic Egyptian Mummy
Original Sarcophagus