The Mongolian Spot

Ninety percent of Mongolians, Polynesians, East Asians, Native Americans, and East Africans are born with a bluish spot on their skin, in the sacral region, between the back and the buttocks. With wavy edges and irregular shapes, this birthmark naturally disappears between the ages of three and five. It is known as the Mongolian Spot, as named by German physician Erwin Bälz.

The French student told me about the “Mongolian spot”, a peculiar mark in the skin, just above the sacrum, which almost all Mongolians are born with: a consequence of having ridden horses for centuries, she said. The spot disappears in the first months of life. Her grandmother had told her that some babies are born with that mark in Europe as well: a trace left by the men of Genghis Khan back in the days of their conquests.

Tiziano Terzani, Un indovino mi disse (A fortune teller told me).

Ph: Wikipedia