Featured Image Credit: National Geographic
Archaeologists were stunned to come across three well-preserved Inca mummies in Argentina.
One of which was a 15-year-old girl, who looked as though she'd just fallen asleep, discovered more than 500 years after her death.
Known as 'The Maiden' or 'La Doncella,' the mummified remains of the teenage Inca girl were found near the high Volcán Llullaillaco peak in 1999.
Alongside her were two other children, later known as 'the boy' and 'the girl of lightning'. All of them are believed to have been left on a mountaintop to freeze as offerings to the gods.
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The cold weather on the mountaintop preserved their bodies exceptionally well, keeping their organs, blood, skin and facial features intact.
A sight that's quite chilling to see nonetheless.
The Maiden was dressed in a ceremonial tunic and wore a headpiece, which National Geographic reported as symbols of her status as a messenger to the heavens.
Johan Reinhard, who co-led the expedition, was blown away by the discovery, describing it as 'the best preserved of any mummy I've seen'.
Speaking to National Geographic in 2005, he added: 'The discovery of the three mummies [in 1999] … was the highlight of my life, or certainly [of] my work in the Andes.'
He mentioned these mummies looking 'far better preserved' than the Ice Maiden, referring to another frozen mummy found on a Peruvian peak in 1995.
The Maiden discovery has provided scientists with insight into the foods the Inca people had access to despite how dated the mummified figure is.
By sampling biochemical samples from her braided hair, the scientists were able to determine her diet. She was found to have drunk corn liquor presumed to have put her to sleep as well as llama meat for protein.
Fragments of coca leaves were also found in her mouth, which the Inca chewed to reduce the effects of altitude sickness while climbing.
The other children in her company were a six-year-old girl who had been struck by lightning sometime after she died, resulting in burns on her face and upper body, and a seven-year-old boy.
Researchers believe that the young girl was Aklya Kona (sun priestesses of the Incas who took an oath of purity) or one of the daughters chosen under the guidance of nuns.
Although these children were sacrificed, it was considered an honour in their community. The Inca believed the children didn’t die but joined their ancestors to watch over their villages.
Inca children chosen for sacrifice were typically healthy, beautiful and talented, and they were often sacrificed in religious rituals before they reached the age of 15.
In 2007, The Maiden's mummified body was put on display for the first time at the Museum of High Altitude Archaeology.
