In 1995, a German archaeological team discovered an ice room on a mountain peak at an altitude of 6700 meters, in which an exquisite girl was sitting. They came forward to say hello, but were shocked...
When Juanita was born in the Andes mountains in the southern part of the Inca Empire around 1450 AD, the empire was expanding rapidly. She was about thirteen years old, from an ordinary family, and lived with corn potatoes and lambs. The Incas lived in a tight rhythm, the girls had to learn textiles and household tasks from childhood, and her crafts were estimated to be good, because bone checks showed nutrition and no shortage of eating and drinking. The empire had a strict administrative system, everyone had to pay labor taxes, and her house had to work out. The cappuccino ritual was the traditional sacrifice of the Incas, choosing healthy children to worship the mountain god, and she was chosen because of the length. This custom listened to people,
The team that discovered Juanita was actually led by American anthropologist Johan Reinhard. Although the title said the German team, Reinhard was of German descent and was a member of the National Geographic Society. On September 8th, 1995, they explored the Ampato volcano in Peru. The mountain was more than 6,000 meters above sea level. The nearby Sabinkaya volcano had just erupted, and the lava melted the ice layer, exposing an abnormal point. Reinhard and his assistant Miguel Zarate first found silver statues and pottery fragments, which were Inca sacrificial objects, and the clues pointed to high places. They continued to dig and unearthed an ice block with the remains wrapped in it. The girl sits curled up, her knees crossed her chest, her head drooped, and she is wrapped in alpaca wool. The whole process took two hours, and they worked carefully with ice picks and spatulas to avoid damage. When the body is carried down the mountain, it has to be prevented from avalanches, and the stretcher is tied and moved step by step. This discovery shocked everyone, because after more than 500 years, she didn't look rotten, and her hair and skin were the same.
Once shipped back to the Arequipa lab, the inspection began. X-ray showed a crack in the back of the skull, five centimeters in diameter, caused by a blunt force, confirming sacrificial death. Five hundred milliliters of corn liquor and coca leaves remained in her stomach, which saved her much pain during the ritual. The intestines have antibacterial plant fibers, like quinoa stems, which help corpses resist bacteria. Clothes are colored cotton robes and silver thread headdresses, which belong to noble sacrifices. Carbon dating is accurate to 1450, just in time for the heyday of the Incas. Her teeth are worn normally, her bones are thirteen years old, and she has no chronic diseases. It is so well preserved that it depends on high altitude and low temperature drying, plus ritual treatment. The research team made a list, took photos and recorded it, and everything went according to science. This is not only a remain, but also a living fossil, filling the gap in Inca customs.
The Inca Capacocha ritual sounds cruel, but you have to understand the context. At that time, the Andes were plagued by disasters and frequent volcanoes and earthquakes. The empire used this method to appease the mountain gods and seek a bumper harvest and stability. Most of the children selected are orphans or children from poor families. The chief patrols the village to choose the good-looking ones. Juanita's case is typical. She is taken to the temple area, presided over by the priest, and the procession goes up the mountain and is buried in the ice. There are several more similar bodies, but she has the best preservation. Studies have shown that Inca society is strictly hierarchical, the emperor sends people to manage various places, and tributes include living people. Modern people think it is barbaric when they look at it, but in the historical context, it is a survival strategy. Excavating these archaeology shows us how the ancients dealt with the environment, not simply black and white.
Juanita’s exhibition began with the Washington National Geographic Society in 1996, where she sat unchanged in the glass cabinet and visitor ranks to see. After returning to Peru, the St. Andrews University Museum, the cabinet kept the low temperature down five degrees, and the moisture sensor was monitored. In 2018, the CT reconstruction project was launched, the skull was modeled with software, and the silicon muscle was simulated. In October 2023, the head was completed, the eye was transplanted with glass pearls, black hair silk, and placed next to the original remains. The original cabinet was separate cabinets, the lights illuminated the details. This reconstructed the school of gang education and taught it history. Her story, through the spread of reports, reminded the technological progress must also be respected.
Think about it, Juanita went from a mountain girl to an ice sacrifice in just a few months. Her good nutrition shows that the imperial supply chain works, but it also exposes the cold-blooded selection mechanism. Research did not find that she had aristocratic blood and was purely ordinary. This down-to-earth attitude shows that sacrifices do not care about birth, but only health. Similar discoveries included the body of a boy, but she was the most famous because she was in such good condition. When the archaeological team dug her up, they also found gold needles and fragments of the mask, which proved to be a high-level ritual. Her appearance boosted the popularity of Inca research, and National Geographic invested in more projects. For now, this matter is like documentary material, covering the entire picture of the Incas from the agricultural empire to the sacrificial culture.
When Juanita was born in the Andes mountains in the southern part of the Inca Empire around 1450 AD, the empire was expanding rapidly. She was about thirteen years old, from an ordinary family, and lived with corn potatoes and lambs. The Incas lived in a tight rhythm, the girls had to learn textiles and household tasks from childhood, and her crafts were estimated to be good, because bone checks showed nutrition and no shortage of eating and drinking. The empire had a strict administrative system, everyone had to pay labor taxes, and her house had to work out. The cappuccino ritual was the traditional sacrifice of the Incas, choosing healthy children to worship the mountain god, and she was chosen because of the length. This custom listened to people,
The team that discovered Juanita was actually led by American anthropologist Johan Reinhard. Although the title said the German team, Reinhard was of German descent and was a member of the National Geographic Society. On September 8th, 1995, they explored the Ampato volcano in Peru. The mountain was more than 6,000 meters above sea level. The nearby Sabinkaya volcano had just erupted, and the lava melted the ice layer, exposing an abnormal point. Reinhard and his assistant Miguel Zarate first found silver statues and pottery fragments, which were Inca sacrificial objects, and the clues pointed to high places. They continued to dig and unearthed an ice block with the remains wrapped in it. The girl sits curled up, her knees crossed her chest, her head drooped, and she is wrapped in alpaca wool. The whole process took two hours, and they worked carefully with ice picks and spatulas to avoid damage. When the body is carried down the mountain, it has to be prevented from avalanches, and the stretcher is tied and moved step by step. This discovery shocked everyone, because after more than 500 years, she didn't look rotten, and her hair and skin were the same.
Once shipped back to the Arequipa lab, the inspection began. X-ray showed a crack in the back of the skull, five centimeters in diameter, caused by a blunt force, confirming sacrificial death. Five hundred milliliters of corn liquor and coca leaves remained in her stomach, which saved her much pain during the ritual. The intestines have antibacterial plant fibers, like quinoa stems, which help corpses resist bacteria. Clothes are colored cotton robes and silver thread headdresses, which belong to noble sacrifices. Carbon dating is accurate to 1450, just in time for the heyday of the Incas. Her teeth are worn normally, her bones are thirteen years old, and she has no chronic diseases. It is so well preserved that it depends on high altitude and low temperature drying, plus ritual treatment. The research team made a list, took photos and recorded it, and everything went according to science. This is not only a remain, but also a living fossil, filling the gap in Inca customs.
The Inca Capacocha ritual sounds cruel, but you have to understand the context. At that time, the Andes were plagued by disasters and frequent volcanoes and earthquakes. The empire used this method to appease the mountain gods and seek a bumper harvest and stability. Most of the children selected are orphans or children from poor families. The chief patrols the village to choose the good-looking ones. Juanita's case is typical. She is taken to the temple area, presided over by the priest, and the procession goes up the mountain and is buried in the ice. There are several more similar bodies, but she has the best preservation. Studies have shown that Inca society is strictly hierarchical, the emperor sends people to manage various places, and tributes include living people. Modern people think it is barbaric when they look at it, but in the historical context, it is a survival strategy. Excavating these archaeology shows us how the ancients dealt with the environment, not simply black and white.
Juanita’s exhibition began with the Washington National Geographic Society in 1996, where she sat unchanged in the glass cabinet and visitor ranks to see. After returning to Peru, the St. Andrews University Museum, the cabinet kept the low temperature down five degrees, and the moisture sensor was monitored. In 2018, the CT reconstruction project was launched, the skull was modeled with software, and the silicon muscle was simulated. In October 2023, the head was completed, the eye was transplanted with glass pearls, black hair silk, and placed next to the original remains. The original cabinet was separate cabinets, the lights illuminated the details. This reconstructed the school of gang education and taught it history. Her story, through the spread of reports, reminded the technological progress must also be respected.
Think about it, Juanita went from a mountain girl to an ice sacrifice in just a few months. Her good nutrition shows that the imperial supply chain works, but it also exposes the cold-blooded selection mechanism. Research did not find that she had aristocratic blood and was purely ordinary. This down-to-earth attitude shows that sacrifices do not care about birth, but only health. Similar discoveries included the body of a boy, but she was the most famous because she was in such good condition. When the archaeological team dug her up, they also found gold needles and fragments of the mask, which proved to be a high-level ritual. Her appearance boosted the popularity of Inca research, and National Geographic invested in more projects. For now, this matter is like documentary material, covering the entire picture of the Incas from the agricultural empire to the sacrificial culture.