The Maiden Incan Mummy

By Alex in Everything Else on Sep 8, 2007 at 1:20 pm

A well-preserved Incan mummy named "la Doncella" or "the Maiden" is on display for the first time in a museum. The serene look of the mummy belies the gruesome condition of her death: stranded on top of a mountain and frozen to death as a sacrifice.

Hundreds of people packed a museum in Salta, Argentina, to see "la Doncella" — Spanish for "the Maiden" — a 15-year-old girl whose remains were found in 1999 in an icy pit on Llullaillaco volcano, along with a 6-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy.

Scientists believe the so-called Children of Llullaillaco were sacrificed more than 500 years ago in a ceremony marking the annual corn harvest. Dressed in fine clothes and given corn alcohol to put them to sleep, the victims were then left to die at an elevation of 22,080 feet.

LinkThanks Sara!


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