Mummy Juanita

Uncommon card · No. 136243

Juanita, also known as the Lady of Ampato and the Ice Maiden, is the exceptionally well-preserved frozen body of an Inca girl who was sacrificed in a capacocha ritual between about 1440 and 1480 CE, when she was approximately 12–15 years old. Discovered in 1995 on Mount Ampato in southern Peru, her body was preserved by freezing temperatures at high altitude, making her one of the best-preserved Andean mummies ever found. Juanita was discovered by anthropologist Johan Reinhard and Peruvian mountaineer Miguel Zárate after melting ice and erosion exposed and displaced her burial bundle. The survival of her soft tissues, internal organs, hair, skin, blood, and stomach contents has allowed researchers to investigate her health, genetic ancestry, diet, injuries, and cause of death in unusual detail. These studies have provided evidence about Inca religion, high-altitude ceremonial practices, and the treatment of children selected for sacrifice. Since 1996, Juanita has been exhibited almost continuously...

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