Archaeological find of three frozen mummies and offerings at the Inca ceremonial complex on Mount Llullaillaco (Northwest Argentina).

CERUTI, MARÍA CONSTANZA

Nuuk, Groenlandia

Congreso; IV Congreso Mundial de Estudios sobre Momias; 2001

Greenland National Museum and Archives and Danish Polar Center

One of the most complete and better preserved context of burial of sacrificial victims and Inca offerings was excavated on the summit of Volcano Llullaillaco, at 22,110 ft. (6.739 m.), the highest archaeological site in the world, located on the Northwestern border of Argentina. Dr. Johan Reinhard and I undertook excavations on different sites of the Llullaillaco ceremonial complex during March 1999 and we devoted special attention to the study of the platform on the summit of the volcano, in which we found three tombs and several assemblages of offerings. One young woman, one girl and one boy were sacrificed and buried there, together with precious metal, shell, pottery, feathers and textile offerings. The frozen mummies of the three children were recovered in a nearly perfect state of preservation, which allowed to perform radiological, paleopathological  and D.N.A. studies. In this paper we will focus on the description of the ceremonial center of volcano Llullaillaco and the analysis of the mummies and the assemblages buried in the tombs on the summit platform, together with their interpretation in the light of the Spanish chroniclers’ accounts relative to human sacrifice and Inca ceremonies. By comparing the archaeological evidence with the etnohistorical sources we hope to contribute to expand our knowledge of  the mortuary and sacrificial practice of the Inca civilization.