All articles tagged with #inca empire
A new study analyzing hair and nail samples from eight Inca child mummies reveals that children sacrificed in the capacocha ritual were administered a complex mix of psychoactive substances, including cocaine, alcohol, and harmine, likely to ease physical strain and emotional distress rather than to induce hallucinations.
New findings at the Tambo Viejo site in Peru suggest the Inca performed sacrificial rituals by burying decorated llamas and guinea pigs alive, contradicting Spanish colonial accounts that claimed such offerings were burned.
High‑resolution CT scans of four high‑altitude Inca mummies, including the Lady of Ampato, uncover blunt‑force head injuries and, in one case, postmortem organ removal, suggesting the capacocha sacrifices involved deliberate preparation and violence beyond traditional accounts that depicted them as flawless offerings to the gods.