The discovery of an Inca mummy on the Quehuar Volcano, located in the Salta region of Argentina in 1975, was a significant archaeological finding that allowed for a deeper understanding of Inca ritual practices and the dynamics of Capacocha, a ritual sacrifice of children in honor of their deities.
The discovery, which was initially impacted by looters who attempted to extract the mummy using dynamite, destroying most of her body (only the lower part remains), has revealed valuable information through isotopic analysis, enabling the reconstruction of the sacrificed girl’s life, geographical origin, and seasonal diet.
The mummy, belonging to a girl approximately 12 years old, was found at the summit of the volcano at 6,130 meters above sea level, a site with extreme cold and dry conditions that favored her natural mummification. The Incas practiced Capacocha to prevent natural disasters or to ensure good harvests, selecting children for their purity and leading them in processions from Cusco to sacred mountains, where they would die due to the harsh travel conditions. These sacrifices held great symbolic value in Inca society.
Using advanced stable isotope analysis techniques on fragments of the girl’s hair and bone, scientists have been able to deduce both her diet and her possible place of origin. In terms of oxygen and carbon isotope analysis, the results suggest that the girl came from a region located at altitudes between 2,500 and 3,000 meters above sea level, most likely near the Andean region, although an exact location has not been determined. It is possible that the girl belonged to a community near the present-day border between Chile and Argentina, in areas such as the valleys of San Pedro de Atacama or Quebrada de Humahuaca.
One of the most significant discoveries was the evidence that approximately a year before her death, the girl consumed seaweed in her diet, an unexpected finding given that she lived far from the coast. This consumption, which was seasonal and coincided with the rainy season, supports the hypothesis that the seaweed was transported via the vast Inca road network, the Qhapaq Ñan, facilitating the integration of coastal products into highland regions.
The isotopic analysis of hair samples showed cyclical fluctuations in hydrogen and sulfur isotope values, leading researchers to suggest that the girl did not move from her place of origin before being sacrificed. The changes in isotope values are interpreted as records of seasonal variations, suggesting that the sacrifice occurred at the beginning of the rainy season. The fact that the girl was not moved during her final months of life suggests a decentralization in the Capacocha ritual, in which local elites, rather than the central authority in Cusco, may have been responsible for selecting and preparing the children for sacrifice.
Additionally, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope analysis in the hair revealed that the girl’s diet consisted mainly of plants such as corn, with lesser amounts of legumes. There was also significant evidence of camelid meat consumption.
The seaweed consumption, which would have been transported from the coast via camelid caravans, highlights the Incas’ ability to manage a complex system of long-distance trade and transportation. Besides its nutritional value, the seaweed may have had medicinal use, as it is rich in iodine, which would have been beneficial for high-altitude populations prone to nutritional deficiencies.
The study also raises questions about the nature of the preparations for the sacrifice. It is suggested that the inclusion of seaweed in the girl’s diet may have had ritual or medicinal significance, as it may have been used to strengthen or heal the individual before their death. Moreover, changes in her diet during the last six months of her life, with an increased consumption of corn, a food reserved for elites, indicate that the girl may have been specially prepared for the sacrifice.
The combination of archaeological and scientific data allows for a more complete narrative of how the children sacrificed during Capacocha lived and died, and how their lives were deeply intertwined with the political, religious, and economic systems of the Inca Empire.
SOURCES
Eve Poulallion, Violeta A. Killian Galván, et al., The Inca child of the Quehuar volcano: Stable isotopes clue to geographic origin and seasonal diet, with putative seaweed consumption. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Volume 59, November 2024, 104784. doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2024.104784
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