In August 1834, Julia Pastrana was born in Mexico’s Sinaloa region with hypertrichosis terminalis and gingival hyperplasia—conditions that caused her body to be covered in thick black hair and her facial features to become enlarged.
She was later described by doctors and showmen as both “distinct species” and “fully human.” Marketed under names like the “Ape Woman” and “Dog-faced Lady,” she performed across North America and Europe as a singer and dancer. What followed her death in 1860 would span nearly 150 years, involving anatomical study, international tours, public protest, vandalism, and, finally, a return to her home soil.
From Sinaloa to the Stage
Stories about Julia’s early life vary. One claims she was taken from a cave-dwelling tribe by a woman named Mrs. Espinosa. Another, supported by accounts from locals in Ocoroni, said she lived with her mother until her uncle sold her to a traveling circus. In both versions, she spent time in the home of Sinaloa governor Pedro Sánchez and left in 1854.
That year, Francisco Sepúlveda brought her to the U.S., where she toured under manager J.W. Beach. She later married Theodore Lent, who took control of her career and promoted her extensively. Audiences watched her sing and dance while posters described her as part human, part animal.
Touring, Death, and Preservation
In 1860, while on tour in Moscow, Pastrana gave birth to a son who died three days later. She died five days after that from postpartum complications.
Her husband then sold both bodies to Professor Sukolov at Moscow University, who embalmed and taxidermically preserved them. Lent later bought the preserved remains back and toured with them for years before marrying another woman with similar features and renaming her Zenora Pastrana.
A Century on Display
Julia’s body and her son’s were displayed in museums, circuses, and amusement parks for more than a century. They appeared in Norway in 1921 and were still touring in 1972. Public protest during a tour in Sweden led to their removal from exhibition.
In 1976, vandals damaged the baby’s remains, which were later consumed by mice. Julia’s body was stolen in 1979 but was eventually recovered and stored in Oslo. Identified in 1990, her remains were held by Oslo University’s Department of Anatomy for years, despite a 1994 parliamentary recommendation to bury her.
Return to Sinaloa
On 2 August 2012, Norway agreed to release Julia’s remains. In February 2013, they were returned to Sinaloa, aided by artist Laura Anderson Barbata and Mexican authorities.
Hundreds attended her Catholic funeral in Sinaloa de Leyva, not far from her birthplace. Her burial was filmed by Eva Aridjis for the documentary Chuy, The Wolf Man.
Julia Pastrana was born in 1834 in Sinaloa, Mexico, with black hair covering her face and body due to hypertrichosis.
She performed in shows across Europe and America, but after dying in 1860, her preserved body was displayed for over a century in multiple countries…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/gizypel0dY
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) June 12, 2025