Children of Llullaillaco

Rare card · No. 50070

The Children of Llullaillaco (Spanish: [(ɟ)ʝuʝajˈʝako] or [ʎuʎajˈʎako]), also known as the Mummies of Llullaillaco (Spanish: Momias de Llullaillaco), are three exceptionally well-preserved Inca child mummies discovered on 16 March 1999 by archaeologists Johan Reinhard, María Constanza Ceruti and their team near the summit of Llullaillaco, a 6,739 m (22,110 ft) stratovolcano on the modern Argentina–Chile border. The children died between 1462 and 1507 CE as part of a capacocha ceremony, a form of Inca ritual sacrifice, and were buried at an elevation of approximately 6,700 m (22,000 ft), one of the highest archaeological sites in the world. The cold, arid conditions on Llullaillaco preserved the children's soft tissues, internal organs, hair and clothing in exceptional condition, making them among the best-preserved Inca mummies ever discovered. Scientific analyses have provided evidence for the children's ritual preparation before their deaths, including increased consumption of coca and...

Read on Wikipedia · Image grooverpedro, CC BY 2.0