The Children of Llullaillaco ( Spanish: Ã, [? U.?ai'?a.ko] ), also known as Mummies of Llullaillaco , three mummies of the Incas were rediscovered on March 16, 1999 by Dr. Johan Reinhard and his archaeological team near the summit of Llullaillaco, a 6,739 meters (22.110Ã, ft) stratovolcano in the Andes mountains on the border between Chile and Argentina. Children were sacrificed in an Inca religious ritual believed to have occurred c. 1500 . In this ritual, the three children were drugged and allowed to freeze at the top of the mountain, and then they were placed in a small space 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) underground, where they were left to die. According to Dr. Reinhard, the mummies "seem to be the most preserved Inca mummy ever found", and other archaeologists have expressed the same opinion, calling them among the best preserved mummies in the world.
On June 20, 2001, the National Commission of Museums, Monuments and National Historic Places of Argentina declared the Llullaillaco Children the Argentine National Historical Property. Since 2007, the mummies have been exhibited at the Archaeological Museum of High Height in the city of Salta, Argentina.
Video Children of Llullaillaco
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The Inca Empire (Quechua: Tawantinsuyu , "The Four Regions"), was the largest kingdom in pre-Columbian America, and probably the largest empire in the world during the early 16th century. The Empire appeared in the area around the city of Cusco, high in the Andes Mountains in modern Peru, in the 13th century. The Inca civilization did not extend much geographically until the mid-15th century. However, beginning under the rule of Pachacuti in 1438, the Incas swept across South America throughout the Andes, conquering local communities along the way and consolidating large-scale land empires within a span of less than a century. The Inca Empire reached its maximum geographical limit around 1530, and then began a rapid decline that culminated in the fall of Cusco in 1533, simultaneously with the execution by conquering the Spaniards of the Atahualpa emperor.
Child sacrifice, referred to as capacocha or qhapaq hucha , is an important part of the Inca religion and is often used to commemorate important events, such as the death of an Inca Sapa.. Human sacrifice is also used as a sacrifice to the gods at the time of famine, and as a way of asking for protection. Sacrifice can only happen with the direct approval of the Inca emperor. Children are selected from the whole of the vast Inca empire, and are chosen primarily based on their "physical perfection". Children who are chosen to make sacrifices are generally "sons and daughters of the nobility and local rulers". They were then taken hundreds or thousands of miles to Cusco, the capital, where they became the subject of important purification rituals. From there, the children were sent to the top of a mountain high across the empire to be sacrificed. According to traditional Inca beliefs, the sacrificed children did not really die, but instead watched the land from the top of the mountain perch, beside their ancestors. The Inca considered it a great honor to die as a sacrifice.
Many other well-preserved mummies, such as Mummy Juanita, have also been found on the top of the Andes mountain.
Maps Children of Llullaillaco
Funeral site
Llullaillaco is a stratovolcano 6,739 meters (22,110 ft), located in the Andes mountains on the border between Chile and Argentina. The burial site was covered by five feet of earth and rock at the time of discovery. The site in which the mummy was found has been described as "the highest archaeological site in the world".
Llullaillaco is located in the Atacama Desert, the driest non-polar desert on Earth. Extreme air drought is the main reason for the excellent preservation of the mummies for 500 years. Drought and cold temperatures are both known to significantly reduce the rate of decomposition of human remains, and extreme environmental conditions at the peak of Llullaillaco are therefore highly conducive to preservation.
Reinvent
In 1999, Dr. Johan Reinhard and his research team left for the Andes highlands to look for the Inca sacrificial site. Three days into their search, Reinhard's team found a grave site containing three mummified children: two women and one boy. Several gold, clam and silver statues, textiles and pottery were also found. The young girl's body was struck by lightning after her death, causing burns to burn on her body, especially her face and shoulders. The other two mummies were unaffected. The sculptures made of precious metals and textiles are one of the many items found in the cemetery.
Several times, the expedition almost failed. After a long acclimatization process, including a month spent exploring the mountains with a lower altitude nearby, the team finally approached near the top of Llullaillaco after building a series of camps along the ascent. During this expedition, the researchers fielded strong winds over 70 miles per hour (31 m/sec), and extreme temperatures, at one point reaching -40 Â ° C (-40 Â ° F). Furthermore, in their last camp, at an altitude of 6,600 meters (21,700 feet), the storm broke and lasted for four days. According to Reinhard, the team "will soon give up" when they see traces filled with dirt that indicate previous human activity. The researchers followed this trail, which eventually led them to the burial site where they found the mummy.
The mummies
Three mummies were found at the Llullaillaco burial site: la doncella (the girl), la niÃÆ' Â ± a del rayo (the flash girl), and el niÃÆ' Â ± o (boys). Once at the top of the mountain, they are allowed to fall asleep, and then placed in a small tomb 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) underground, where they are left to die. In addition, they are "fatted" with a high protein diet before they are sacrificed.
The mummies were in great shape when they were discovered. Dr. Reinhard said the mummies "seem to be the most preserved Inca mummy ever found", in addition to saying that the arms are perfectly preserved, even down to individual hairs. The internal organs are still intact, and one of the hearts still contains frozen blood. Since mummies freeze before dehydration can occur, the drought and wrinkles of organs typical to exposure to human remains never occur.
La doncella
The oldest mummy, a girl who was found about fifteen years old, was nicknamed la doncella . He has been widely known as "Maiden of Llullaillaco". Bacterial infections were found in his lungs during the examination. She was wearing a dress with her elaborately braided hair, along with a furry headdress. DNA tests showed that the two girls were half sisters, while the boys were not related. He died in his sleep, destiny sharing with other children.
It is believed that La Doncella is an aclla , or Sun Virgin - she is still a virgin, chosen and purified around the age of ten, to live with other girls. and the woman who will be the wife of a kingdom, a priest, and a sacrifice. The practice of sacrifice of rituals in the Incas is intended to ensure good health, rich harvest and favorable weather.
Despite his young age, la doncella already has some white hair, potentially showing high levels of stress.
La niÃÆ' Â ± a del rayo
La niÃÆ' Â ± a del rayo was about six years old when she was sacrificed. His face, one of his ears, and some of his shoulders were damaged by the lightning strike that followed his death. His head was raised high, and he faced southwest. She was dressed in traditional chocolate acsu, and her head, along with her body parts, was wrapped in a thick wool blanket. In addition, his whole body is wrapped in another blanket, this one is a red and yellow embroidered blanket. The skull appears to have elongated deliberately.
La niÃÆ'Â ± a del rayo seems to be treated less coarsely than el niÃÆ'Â ± o , but without treatment with la doncella treated.
El niÃÆ'Â ± o
The body, which was about seven years old when he was sacrificed, was wrapped tightly, because some of his ribs and pelvis were dislocated. He seems to be dying under pressure, because of vomiting and blood found in his clothes. There also seems to be a flea infestation in her hair. He is the only child who is bound. Lying in the fetal position, she wears a gray robe, silver bracelet, and leather shoes, and has been wrapped in a red and brown blanket. The skull is elongated, similar to la niÃÆ' Â ± a del rayo . Because of the way in which he was tied up, it was believed that he might have died from suffocation.
El niÃÆ' Â ± o is buried with a collection of small objects, some of which depict well-dressed men driving the llamas caravan, and others depicting ritual activities in which men use catapults to launch cannons into the lagoon at the end of the dry season to speed up the coming rain.
Scientific analysis
According to a biochemical analysis of hair la doncella , children are drugged with alcohol and coca before the start of a sacrificial ritual. La Doncella has been drugged by coca leaf and corn beer known as chicha. Although all three sacrifices consumed large amounts of these substances before the ritual, hair sample analysis showed that la doncella significantly consumed more coca and alcohol than el niÃÆ' Â ± o or la niÃÆ' Â ± a del rayo . Her hair contains the highest coca concentrations ever found in the Andes human body.
Exhibition
The mummies remained on display at the Altitude High Archaeological Museum (es), a museum devoted entirely to the displays of mummies, in Salta, Argentina. The area that now contains the city of Salta was part of the Inca empire in the late 1400s and early 1500s, before it was captured by the Spanish conquistadores in 1530. To prevent damage, the computer-controlled climatic system maintained an environmental similar to the one at the top of a mountain where the mummy had spent 500 years before. If an earthquake or other emergency results in a loss of power, the plane from the provincial governor will be used to fly the mummy to another location where they will be able to "re-install". The museum opened to the public in early September 2007.
Prior to the construction of the museum exhibit, the mummy was guarded by the Catholic University of Salta (es). Developing a way to show mummies to the public while keeping them perfectly awake requires eight years of research.
Controversy
Mummies have been the subject of controversy, especially with regard to customary rights. The excavation and display of the body was opposed by some natives.
Rogelio Guanuco, leader of the Argentine Natives Association (AIRA), called the exhibition "a violation of our loved ones," saying that "Llullaillaco continues to be sacred to us, they should never defame the sanctuary, and they should not put the child "FermÃÆ'n Tolaba, head of the Lules, said that the mummies" should live in their territory ", and that" now that [mummies] have been dug, [the museum] must return it It's not good that the museum makes money with it, billing admission for something that does not belong to it. "
The high Andean region from which the mummies were taken is believed to be home to at least 40 other similar ritual burial sites. However, to "have a good relationship with the Indians", no more mummies will be removed from the area, according to Gabriel Miremont, designer and director of the Archaeological Museum of High Altitude, which hosts exhibitions featuring mummies.
The adat leaders have also expressed concern that they will not receive any economic benefits created by the mummy's look.
See also
- Mummy Juanita
- ÃÆ' â € "tzi
- Plomo Mummy
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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