Mummies reveal ritual details

Along with the children, several valuable objects were deposited. According to experts, identified artifacts were also used as offerings.

From analysis with different techniques, experts have been able to find out details about the bodies. Conventional X-rays and computed tomography provided information about the condition of bones and organs, while dental studies were able to indicate the ages of the three children at the time of death. In partnership with institutions in the United States and Europe, Argentine archaeologists also analyzed DNA and hair samples.

The discovery in the llullaillaco volcano represents world records. According to Guinness Book, the place is the highest archaeological site in the world, and the mummies are described as the best preserved ever found in history.

Llullaillaco children were preserved at the Catholic University of Salta, Argentina. During this period, mummies underwent several archaeological studies. Currently, they are on display at the High Mountain Archeology Museum in the same city. According to the official portal of the museum, the maintenance of the bodies is performed under “strict conditions of croconservation that control and maintain the temperature, humidity and pressure in capsules that enable the correct presentation and conservation of the bodies.”

Children were offered as a sacrifice in ritual

Promoted by the Incas, the Capacocha was one of the most important rituals of the Tawantinsuyu Empire. The dynamic consisted of making order offerings or thanks to the sun. The ritual was also performed on special occasions, such as a natural disaster, since in Andean culture it was believed that the gods influenced natural phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and dried.