 The practice of that mummification ended, since Spaniards colonized the Philippines in the 16th century.When the Fire Mummies were 'discovered' in the early 20th century by Westerners (the mummies have been known to local communities for hundreds of years), many of them were stolen, because the caves were mostly unprotected.Because of this, Monument Watch, a nonprofit organization, declared the site as one of the 100 most endangered sites in the world.