Some years ago, a group of archaeologists found the frozen corpses of three indigenous children atop a volcano, which they determined had been Inca sacrifices. Today, the perfectly conserved corpses are on exhibition at a museum in northwestern Argentina, where thousands of people come to see them every month. But the exhibition has caused controversy, as local indigenous communities demand the return of the bodies, scientists worry about their preservation in the museum and others question the humanity of the display.
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by Ivonne Jeannot Laens, Reporter, Monday - March 12, 2012
SALTA, ARGENTINA – Three children, ages 6, 7 and 15, left their towns one day and set off toward the peak of a volcano. Accompanied by Inca priests, they walked for months or even years until they at last reached the Llullaillaco Volcano in northwestern Argentina. There, the priests got them drunk and buried them alive as an offering to the gods.
The Incas selected the two girls and one boy for their beauty and perfection. The girls wore tunics, fitted at the waist, and long braids in their hair. The boy donned a large headdress made of white feathers. The priests buried them with various objects that symbolized life in the communities: miniature gold statues, vessels, sandals and small bags of dried food.
This all occurred some 500 years ago, during the time of the Inca Empire. After uncovering the children’s bodies at 6,700 meters above sea level in 1999, the expedition group carefully reconstructed details of the long walk and the objective of the sacrifice.
Archaeologist Christian Vitry says he was one of the 14 men and women who participated in the expedition, led by Johan Reinhard, a U.S. explorer for National Geographic Society and the principle investigator for The Mountain Institute. After studying Inca culture for years, Reinhard had strong suspicions that they would find human remains atop the volcano.
Vitry says that he and his fellow expedition members had to withstand difficult climactic conditions to reach their destination, with temperatures plummeting down to 40 degrees Celsius below zero and strong gusts of wind.
“When we established the final camp, at a height of 6,600 meters, a storm broke,” he says. “It lasted four days, and the tents were covered in snow.”
But at the peak, they were able to uncover the first body, a 7-year-old boy in a gray tunic, according to local media reports covering the expedition's discovery. He was frozen in the fetal position with a brown and red blanket covering his torso. The researchers named him, “El Niño,” or, “The Boy.”
Soon they found a 15-year-old girl, whom they baptized, “La Doncella,” which means, “The Maiden.” Her legs were bent and crossed, and her hands rested on her abdomen. A cloak covered her back, and a metal adornment hung from her chest.
Finally, they uncovered the body of a 6-year-old girl. Her head was upright, which allowed the expedition members a perfect view of her face, which was framed by her black hair. Part of her head and her chest had been burned by a lightning bolt, so they named her, “La Niña del Rayo” – “The Lightning Bolt Girl.”
Vitry says the Incas sacrificed the children following a ritual characteristic of the period called “Capacocha.” During this ceremony, the children first visited the center of the Inca Empire, which was located in Cusco, Peru, and then walked to the places where they would be sacrificed. The sacrifice’s objective was to show appreciation to the gods for water and the other vital elements and to ask them for protection.
The archaeologist says that the Incas had a different concept of life and death.
“They believed that the children didn’t die but slept and later woke up together with their ancestors and deities,” he says.
La Universidad Católica de Salta initially safeguarded the bodies. The provincial government later decided to erect the Museo de Arqueología de Alta Montaña in order to exhibit the mummies, known as Los Niños del Llullaillaco. Vitry is today the official archaeologist of the museum.
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