Watch Digital X-rays look inside Mexico reliquaries in New Channel | Channify

(9 Jul 2016) High-definition digital X-ray technology is giving researchers in Mexico their first glimpse inside centuries-old reliquaries in the capital's Metropolitan Cathedral. The reliquaries — containers for holy relics — are life-size, wax body representations of Roman Catholic saints. According to Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History, investigators using a portable X-ray machine discovered a cranium, ribs, as well as bones from hands, feet and legs inside the sculpted containers. Investigators also saw that while the extremities of the reliquaries were made of wax, the torsos were constructed from cloth. The bones contained within them are from saints as well, though not necessarily the same saint that is represented by the sculpture. Sanchez said the information will allow conservationists to develop preservation and restauration strategies for the reliquaries located in the Mexico City cathedral. Assisting in the project is Dr. Jose Luis Velazquez, a veterinarian from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Velazquez used the handheld X-ray machine to collect detailed images of the reliquaries. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/7cc59aa42da61e1917a2236974340509 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork