An apparatus for preserving human or animal remains comprising a burial chamber further comprising a hermetically sealed interior containing gas or water vapor, wherein the gas creates a gas pressure within the hermetically sealed interior, and a vacuum pump, wherein the vacuum pump is in functional communication with the hermetically sealed interior, wherein the vacuum pump operates to evacuate the gas or the water vapor from the hermetically sealed interior, and wherein the vacuum pump is intermittently activated to reduce the gas pressure within the hermetically sealed interior for a desiccating duration.
