Inca maiden and her secrets 500 years ago → In 1999, researchers of a joint Argentine-Peruvian expedition, at an altitude of more than 6,000 meters, found a tomb near the Lyulagliaco volcano where the bodies of three children rested: one boy and two girls. It seemed that the children were sleeping, settling down inside an uncomfortable and cold cave.
The subsequent analysis showed that the cave was used by representatives of the Incan civilization, and the age of the bodies found is more than 500 years.
In a publication in the journal PNAS, a large group of specialists from Europe and America presents the first results of the examination of the remains.
The death of a boy and a girl of 4-5 years and another girl of 13 years came, apparently, not as a result of violent acts, but from hypothermia. Experts are of the opinion that the children have become a victim of a special ritual of memory, about which the Spanish chroniclers wrote.
According to Dr. Emma Brown from the University of Bradford, the practice of sacrificing children was widespread among the Incas and was used in various cases, for example, to perpetuate important events in the life of the people in case of military victories or natural disasters. In addition, there was even a special calendar of such rituals.
In this context, the body of an older girl, who most likely was the central figure in the ritual, is of particular interest. Chemical analysis of her hair from root to tip allowed us to create some impression of a change in her diet and lifestyle in the last two years of life.
So, it turned out that a year before the death of “Lulagliak girl,” as experts called her, she began to eat much better. If initially potatoes prevailed in its diet, then later meat and corn products became the main food.
In addition, the girl consumed a large amount of alcohol and coca leaves. The peak of coca use came at the time half a year before her death, and in the last 6 weeks of her life, the amount of alcohol in her diet increased dramatically. It is noteworthy that other children have not found traces of coca or alcohol.
The findings, scientists say, shed light on the rituals of the Incas and allow you to get a more complete picture of their society.
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