A community in Guatemala experienced surprise when a teenage girl, Yuleidy Ixcotoyac, who was believed to be dead, woke up inside her coffin. The 15-year-old lost consciousness while in a car with her father, Pastor Abraham Ixcotoyac, who was driving her to a hospital due to chest pains on Saturday. After checking her pulse and breathing, he concluded she was dead and decided not to continue to the hospital.
The family did not receive a confirmed diagnosis or death certificate and proceeded with her funeral eight hours later. Following local customs, they purchased a coffin and placed her inside. At the family home in El Jocote, Yuleidy's mother noticed movement in the casket and insisted that her daughter was alive.
“When I was crying on top of her casket, we opened the window, and she was moving, she was waking up, and suddenly she sat up,” the mother recalled. Video footage captured the moment Yuleidy sat up, with family and friends around her, some offering her a drink and expressing joy.
Yuleidy is now recovering at home and shared her experience, stating, “My heart started hurting really badly, it felt heavy and then I blacked out, like I fainted.” Social media reactions included comments on the incident and the concept of a 'wake.' According to the Britannica website, a wake is a traditional religious rite where mourners stay awake to watch over the body of the deceased before burial, rooted in ancient customs to protect against evil spirits. Yuleidy expressed gratitude for her survival, stating she “thanks God” she is alive after the incident.