Paleopathological Overview of the Inca Frozen Mummies from Mount Llullaillaco

CERUTI, MARÍA CONSTANZA

Journal of Glacial Archaeology

Equinox Publishing

Año: 2013

The extinct volcano Llullaillaco, located in the Andes of northwestern Argentina, was turned into a ceremonial complex under the influence of the Inca Empire. Built at an altitude of 22,110 ft. (6.739 meters above sea level), the mountain-top shrine of Llullaillaco is considered to be the highest ceremonial site in the world. Archaeological research conducted at the Inca ceremonial complex of mount Llullaillaco led to the discovery and excavation of three Inca frozen mummies and more than one hundred sumptuary offerings that were buried five hundred years ago. The expedition was co-directed by the author of this paper, who personally supervised the archaeological work undertaken on the summit. Team members included Peruvian and Argentinean archaeology students, as well as mountain climbers of both nationalities and indigenous members of the Quechua community. The project was officially authorized by the Direction of Cultural Heritage in Salta and the financial support to undertake the expedition to mount Llullaillaco was provided by a grant from the National Geographic Society. This paper will provide an overview on the paleopathology of the frozen bodies from mount Llullaillaco, among the best preserved Precolumbian mummies known to date. The Llullaillaco mummies have been previously analyzed in the context of the diversity of mummies worldwide (Ceruti 2010); as objects of dedication (Ceruti 2004), and in connection to the religious role of children in the Andes (Ceruti 2008 and 2010). This study focuses on the frozen mummies of Llullaillaco as objects of bioarchaeological and medical research. Numerous interdisciplinary studies on the Llullaillaco mummies were conducted between 1999 and 2004, during the time in which the mummies were preserved at the Catholic University of Salta (UCASAL). Research undertaken in consultation with Johan Reinhard involved the participation of local scientists based at the Institute of High Mountain Research in UCASAL (Ceruti et. al 2008). The studies were primarily noninvasive in order to maintain the integrity of the mummies? body tissues and interior organs. These included radiological evaluations - conventional X-rays and CT scans - which provided information about condition and pathology of the bones and internal organs (Previgliano et al.2003a and 2003b; Previgliano et al. 2005), and dental studies oriented to the estimation of the ages of the three Llullaillaco children at the time of death (Arias Araoz et. al 2002). D.N.A. and hair analysis were also performed in cooperation with academic institutions in the United States and Europe, including the Institute of Bioscience at the George Mason University, the University of Bradford (cf. Wilson et al. 2007; Brown et al. 2008) and the Laboratory of Biological Anthropology at the University of Copenhagen (Villa et al. 2010). The Llullaillaco mummies are unusual even among the world?s few Ice Mummies. This is due to the fact that the bodies of the Llullaillaco children were frozen immediately at the time of death and have remained so continuously until their discovery five centuries later. The outstanding condition of the mummies was the result of the combination of freezing temperature, mild humidity and the anaerobic environment. The presence of natural disinfectants in the volcanic ashes could also have played a role.