Case file · Sacred site
The children of Llullaillaco
In 1999 Johan Reinhard's team found three Inca children, sacrificed in a capacocha ritual around 1500, preserved almost perfectly near the 6,739-metre summit of Llullaillaco volcano in Salta.
1500 CE · -24.72, -68.54 · status: official
The account
The 'Maiden', a girl of about 13, and two younger children were buried with textiles, figurines and food. Studies of their hair showed they were given coca and alcohol in their last months. They are kept at the Museum of High Altitude Archaeology in Salta, where they are displayed one at a time. The year used is the approximate date of the ritual.
The sceptical view
A documented archaeological find. Some Indigenous groups object to the display of the children.