Hair analysis of a 13-year old girl, whose mummified body was found near the summit of Volcán Llullaillaco, a mountain on the Chile/Argentina border, revealed the use of alcohol and drugs during Inca child sacrifice rituals.
The mummified bodies of three Inca children were found near the lofty summit of Volcán Llullaillaco in Argentina. The bodies were so well preserved that it helped researchers from the University of Bradford understand more about the Inca capacocha ritual, which sometimes involved child sacrifice.
Hair analysis of a strand belonging to the 13-year old girl was done to understand what she ate and drank when alive. The results from the analysis revealed an extensive use of alcohol and drugs.
"Hair grows around 1cm a month and, once formed, doesn't undergo any further alterations," lead researcher, Dr Andrew Wilson, explained in a press release. "Substances such as cocaine and alcohol leave markers which can tell us how much the person was consuming when that section of hair was growing. From the Maiden's hair, we have a two-year timeline running up to her death, showing us some of what she ate and drank."
Researchers found that while all the three children showed signs of consuming both coca and alcohol, the 13-year-old girl, who was found with chewed coca leaves in her mouth, showed evidence of ingesting consistently higher levels of cocaine and alcohol than the two younger individuals. They revealed that the girl's consumption levels rose sharply in the 12 months before her death and peaked at six months before her death when she consumed almost three times more cocaine and alcohol than previous levels.
He confirmed that death due to exposure was inevitable at the altitudes the bodies were found and that the consumption of alcohol and drugs hastened the process. Wilson said their findings were confirmed by the position the girl was found in. She was seated cross-legged, with her head slumped forward and her arms resting loosely on her lap, her headdress intact and the artifacts around her undisturbed.
"We think it's likely the Maiden was selected for sacrifice 12 months before her death, after which her treatment changed, corresponding to the sharp increase in coca consumption. She was then probably involved in a series of rituals, involving consumption of coca and alcohol, in the build up to her sacrifice, which kept consumption at a steady level. Both substances were controlled, were considered elite products and held ritual significance for the Inca," said the researchers.
