Incas sacrificed children with fatal head blows, then revered their mummified remains

Incas sacrificed children in a deadly ritual centuries ago, and now a team of scientists has found exactly what happened to them. Remains of four of them were recovered from the top of volcanoes in Peru years ago. Researchers who analysed the mummified bodies say that their heads were bashed to kill them. The children were sacrificed in an Inca ritual called capacocha. The team says that it was "one of the most significant ceremonial rituals of the Inca Empire." They now have direct evidence of the practice gathered following CT scans of their mummified remains. The study was published in January in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. Bioarchaeologist and co-author of the study, Dagmara Socha, told Gizmodo, “The capacocha children served as representatives of their living communities before the deities.”

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All children sacrificed by Incas had a common injury

The remains of the four children have been named after the volcanoes on which they were found. There is Ampato #1, Ampato #2, Ampato #4, and Sara Sara. Ampato #1, also known as the Lady of Ampato, died of injuries in her cranium and the areas of her pelvis and chest at the age of 14. The freezing conditions naturally mummified her body. Researchers also found corn, pottery fragments, and figurines near her. Sara Sara mummy also died at around 14 years old from cranial injuries. Ampato #2 was scarificed at the age of eight, again receiving a blow to her head. She had a health condition contrary to what previous studies state about the physical conditions of the victims. Sara Sara also revealed similar health issues. Ampato #4 also died of a head injury at around 10 years old. CT scan showed that her body had been modified after she died and was likely buried twice. Some of her bones were missing, and her abdominal cavity was filled with rocks and pieces of textiles, suggesting she was mummified by the Incas, the first such instance.

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Incas took approval for marriages from mummified relatives

Her ancestors moved her to a different place, as records show the Inca Empire resettled populations. They took the mummified remains with them. The researchers state that carrying bodies with them to another place offers "the first direct evidence that the role of children sacrificed in the capacocha ritual did not end with their death." Historical records suggest that the Incas sought blessings and approval of the mummies of dead rulers for marriages. Socha believes Ampato #4 "played a similar role in the religious life of provincial communities."