Stable isotope and DNA evidence for ritual sequences in Inca child sacrifice.

WILSON, ANDREW; TYMOTHY TAYLOR; MARÍA CONSTANZA CERUTI; JOSÉ ANTONIO CHÁVEZ, JOHAN REINHARD, VAUGHAN GRIMES, WOLFRAM MEIER-AUGENSTEIN, LARRY CARTMELL, BEN STERN, MICHAEL RICHARDS, MICHAEL WOROBEY, IAN BARNES AND THOMAS GILBERT

PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

The National Academy of Sciences of the USA

Año: 2007 vol. 104 p. 16456 - 16461

         Four recently discovered frozen child mummies from two of the highest peaks in the south central Andes now yield tantalizing evidence of the preparatory stages leading to Inca ritual killing as represented by the unique capacocha rite. Our interdisciplinary study examined hair from the mummies to obtain detailed genetic and diachronic isotopic information. This approach has allowed us to reconstruct aspects of individual identity and diet, make inferences concerning social backgrounds and gain insight on the hitherto unknown processes by which victims were selected, elevated in social status, prepared for a high-altitude pilgrimage and killed. Such direct information amplifies, yet also partly contrasts with, Spanish historical accounts.