For decades, the cause of death was thought to be: A child from Cerro El Flormo It was hypothermia. The naturally freeze-dried body of a child, about 8 years old, from 560 years ago is now considered one of the most important anthropological artifacts in Chile and is considered evidence of the Inca Empire.
He was found with his legs crossed and his head resting on his right shoulder and arm, as if he were asleep. Researchers believed that he had consumed corn chicha or some other alcoholic or narcotic substance to induce sleep before the ancients placed him in the ice tomb. However, recent scientific research has refuted this idea, suggesting that he died from head trauma instead.
“It shatters a 70-year-old belief or myth that this child died peacefully,” said Mario Castro, director of Chile’s National Museum of Natural History (MNHN).
Rituals of the Inca Empire
This new understanding challenges everything we have known so far. CapacochaTawantinsuyu, one of the most important ceremonies of the Inca Empire, involved the sacrifice of children and youth to the sun god Inti as a gesture of gratitude, usually held during the harvest month.
They rose from the highest peak of the territory, in this case 17,700 feet above sea level, so that their souls could quickly ascend to the upper world, where they could protect their community with the gods. At the same time, it showed the influence and dominance of the monarch.
Read more: Does the great civilization of the Inca Empire still exist today?
The Child of Cerro El Flormo
Treasure hunters discovered the mummy in 1954, and it has been housed by the MNHN since then, in collaboration with the German Hospital in Santiago de Chile. A new CT scan of the mummy revealed that the frontal bone of the skull was injured by a blunt object moving from right to left. The child was likely standing with his head down, and the blow is believed to have been inflicted skillfully.
Castro added that “the chronicles of Spanish priests who had contact with the Inca Empire describe this type of violent death in these sacrifices, but no evidence has been found.”
The child of Cerro El Flormo The world’s first mummy examined using dermoscopy (a non-invasive method of studying skin lesions). This analysis, carefully conducted by dermatologist Veronica Catalan, confirmed that the blue color of the fingernails and the black spots on the soles were not due to frostbite, as was interpreted in 1954 based solely on physical examination and in 1983 using electron microscopy.
X-ray examinations showed that the child had consumed “a large amount of food” shortly before his death, which appeared to be undigested. The presence of cocaine was also detected, indicating that he had been chewing coca leaves to relieve fatigue. Castro noted that further analysis is needed to determine how long the substance was consumed.
Radiocarbon dating has confirmed that the child’s death most likely occurred around 1460, before the Spanish arrived in the Americas. This overturns a 2011 study that incorrectly claimed the child had been suffering from trichinosis, a parasitic disease spread by eating pork, an animal introduced during colonization.
Another ongoing research direction involves studying parasites found in the mummy’s rectum to determine if the mummy was infected.
Read more: The Aztecs sacrificed humans to repay the gods, and for other reasons as well.
Where did the Plomo mummy come from?
Before his sacrifice, the boy walked more than 1,250 miles across south-central Peru and died at Cerro El Plomo, about 28 miles east of present-day Santiago, Chile, where he spent between six and nine months. This journey explains the thickening and dark discoloration of the skin on his feet that was unusual for his age. Additional facts: The shoes he was wearing at the time of his death showed no signs of wear.
Researchers have studied stable isotopes in the mummy’s stomach contents to estimate the length of the journey, and the results are due to be published, but scientists say the child stayed in Cuzco for two years before starting the long journey to Santiago, Chile.
Mauricio Moraga, a researcher at the University of Chile’s Institute of Biomedicine, and his colleagues conducted a genetic analysis of the body, which included sequencing the entire genome, since the cold environment kept the body intact and preserved its DNA.
Examination of the boy’s genome sequence revealed genetic similarities to modern populations from the south-central Andes and ancient individuals from the highlands of northern Chile and southern Peru.
“This answers one of the most important questions about this ritual: Did the sacrifices come from Cuzco, the heart of the empire, or from villages near the high peaks where Capacocha was held?” says Moraga.
Read more: Ancient mass child sacrifice discovered in Peru may be world’s largest
Future research on genetic lineage
He noted that while the quality of the genomic information obtained was surprisingly good, “as if the child had never died,” it still cannot pinpoint a precise place of origin. More ancient DNA samples from other individuals and more indigenous populations are needed for comparison, and the scope of more comprehensive analyses is limited because several subregions and time periods are poorly represented in the genetic record from South America.
Castro knew that this discovery would offend certain communities and feared that it would generate sensational headlines in the local press. He believed it was important to emphasize that the Capacocha sacrifices must be understood in an anthropological and cultural context that cannot be judged by today’s standards.
“I will never lose respect for the indigenous people. This is an ancient tradition,” Castro said.
“Understanding the causes of child death at Cerro el Plomo will advance our knowledge of Inca culture,” added Veronica Catalan.
Read more: How the Incas Built Machu Picchu
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