Overview of the Inca frozen mummies from Mount Lullaillaco (Argentina)
- Autores
- Ceruti, Maria Constanza
- Año de publicación
- 2014
- Idioma
- inglés
- Tipo de recurso
- artículo
- Estado
- versión publicada
- Descripción
- Three frozen bodies belonging to a young woman and two infants were found at an elevation of 6.715 meters (22,100 ft.) above sea level, on the summit of volcano Llullaillaco, in the Andes of northwestern Argentina. The mummies were discovered (and recovered for ulterior preservation and study) during scientific excavations codirected by the author of this paper at the highest archaeological site in the world. The mummies belonged to children that were sacrificed five hundred years ago, under the rule of the Inca Empire, as part of a state-controlled ceremony known as capacocha. According to the historical sources written during the Hispanic conquest, the Inca human sacrifices were performed in response to natural catastrophes, the death of the Inca emperor, or to propitiate the mountain spirits that grant fertility. The selected children and the young acllas or “chosen women” were taken in processions to the highest summits of the Andes to be sacrificed. They were believed to become messengers into the world of the mountain deities and the spirits of the ancestors. Numerous interdisciplinary studies were conducted on the frozen mummies between 1999 and 2004, a time span during which the “Llullaillaco children” were preserved at the Catholic University of Salta (UCASAL). These studies included radiological evaluations by conventional X-rays and CT scans, which provided information about condition and pathology of the bones and internal organs; as well as dental studies oriented to the estimation of the ages of the three children at the time of death. Ancient DNA studies and hair analysis were also performed in cooperation with academic institutions in the United States and Europe, including the Institute of Bioscience at the George Mason University, the University of Bradford and the Laboratory of Biological Anthropology at the University of Copenhagen. In this paper we focus on the frozen bodies of mount Llullaillaco as objects for bioarchaeological and medical research, providing an overview on the paleopathology of the mummies that are among the best preserved known to date.
Fil: Ceruti, Maria Constanza. Universidad Católica de Salta. Instituto de Investigaciones de Alta Montaña; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina - Materia
-
Mummies
Paleopathology
Sacrifice
Inca Empire
Mount Llullaillaco - Nivel de accesibilidad
- acceso abierto
- Condiciones de uso
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
- Repositorio
- Institución
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
- OAI Identificador
- oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/12384
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Overview of the Inca frozen mummies from Mount Lullaillaco (Argentina)Ceruti, Maria ConstanzaMummiesPaleopathologySacrificeInca EmpireMount Llullaillacohttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/6.1https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6Three frozen bodies belonging to a young woman and two infants were found at an elevation of 6.715 meters (22,100 ft.) above sea level, on the summit of volcano Llullaillaco, in the Andes of northwestern Argentina. The mummies were discovered (and recovered for ulterior preservation and study) during scientific excavations codirected by the author of this paper at the highest archaeological site in the world. The mummies belonged to children that were sacrificed five hundred years ago, under the rule of the Inca Empire, as part of a state-controlled ceremony known as capacocha. According to the historical sources written during the Hispanic conquest, the Inca human sacrifices were performed in response to natural catastrophes, the death of the Inca emperor, or to propitiate the mountain spirits that grant fertility. The selected children and the young acllas or “chosen women” were taken in processions to the highest summits of the Andes to be sacrificed. They were believed to become messengers into the world of the mountain deities and the spirits of the ancestors. Numerous interdisciplinary studies were conducted on the frozen mummies between 1999 and 2004, a time span during which the “Llullaillaco children” were preserved at the Catholic University of Salta (UCASAL). These studies included radiological evaluations by conventional X-rays and CT scans, which provided information about condition and pathology of the bones and internal organs; as well as dental studies oriented to the estimation of the ages of the three children at the time of death. Ancient DNA studies and hair analysis were also performed in cooperation with academic institutions in the United States and Europe, including the Institute of Bioscience at the George Mason University, the University of Bradford and the Laboratory of Biological Anthropology at the University of Copenhagen. In this paper we focus on the frozen bodies of mount Llullaillaco as objects for bioarchaeological and medical research, providing an overview on the paleopathology of the mummies that are among the best preserved known to date.Fil: Ceruti, Maria Constanza. Universidad Católica de Salta. Instituto de Investigaciones de Alta Montaña; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaEquinox Publishing2014-01info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/12384Ceruti, Maria Constanza; Overview of the Inca frozen mummies from Mount Lullaillaco (Argentina); Equinox Publishing; Journal of Glacial Archaeology; 1; 1; 1-2014; 79-972050-33932050-3407enginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/http://dx.doi.org/10.1558/jga.v1i1.79info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://journals.equinoxpub.com/index.php/JGA/article/view/16639info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-09-03T10:09:17Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/12384instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-09-03 10:09:17.726CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Overview of the Inca frozen mummies from Mount Lullaillaco (Argentina) |
title |
Overview of the Inca frozen mummies from Mount Lullaillaco (Argentina) |
spellingShingle |
Overview of the Inca frozen mummies from Mount Lullaillaco (Argentina) Ceruti, Maria Constanza Mummies Paleopathology Sacrifice Inca Empire Mount Llullaillaco |
title_short |
Overview of the Inca frozen mummies from Mount Lullaillaco (Argentina) |
title_full |
Overview of the Inca frozen mummies from Mount Lullaillaco (Argentina) |
title_fullStr |
Overview of the Inca frozen mummies from Mount Lullaillaco (Argentina) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Overview of the Inca frozen mummies from Mount Lullaillaco (Argentina) |
title_sort |
Overview of the Inca frozen mummies from Mount Lullaillaco (Argentina) |
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv |
Ceruti, Maria Constanza |
author |
Ceruti, Maria Constanza |
author_facet |
Ceruti, Maria Constanza |
author_role |
author |
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv |
Mummies Paleopathology Sacrifice Inca Empire Mount Llullaillaco |
topic |
Mummies Paleopathology Sacrifice Inca Empire Mount Llullaillaco |
purl_subject.fl_str_mv |
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6.1 https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6 |
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv |
Three frozen bodies belonging to a young woman and two infants were found at an elevation of 6.715 meters (22,100 ft.) above sea level, on the summit of volcano Llullaillaco, in the Andes of northwestern Argentina. The mummies were discovered (and recovered for ulterior preservation and study) during scientific excavations codirected by the author of this paper at the highest archaeological site in the world. The mummies belonged to children that were sacrificed five hundred years ago, under the rule of the Inca Empire, as part of a state-controlled ceremony known as capacocha. According to the historical sources written during the Hispanic conquest, the Inca human sacrifices were performed in response to natural catastrophes, the death of the Inca emperor, or to propitiate the mountain spirits that grant fertility. The selected children and the young acllas or “chosen women” were taken in processions to the highest summits of the Andes to be sacrificed. They were believed to become messengers into the world of the mountain deities and the spirits of the ancestors. Numerous interdisciplinary studies were conducted on the frozen mummies between 1999 and 2004, a time span during which the “Llullaillaco children” were preserved at the Catholic University of Salta (UCASAL). These studies included radiological evaluations by conventional X-rays and CT scans, which provided information about condition and pathology of the bones and internal organs; as well as dental studies oriented to the estimation of the ages of the three children at the time of death. Ancient DNA studies and hair analysis were also performed in cooperation with academic institutions in the United States and Europe, including the Institute of Bioscience at the George Mason University, the University of Bradford and the Laboratory of Biological Anthropology at the University of Copenhagen. In this paper we focus on the frozen bodies of mount Llullaillaco as objects for bioarchaeological and medical research, providing an overview on the paleopathology of the mummies that are among the best preserved known to date. Fil: Ceruti, Maria Constanza. Universidad Católica de Salta. Instituto de Investigaciones de Alta Montaña; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina |
description |
Three frozen bodies belonging to a young woman and two infants were found at an elevation of 6.715 meters (22,100 ft.) above sea level, on the summit of volcano Llullaillaco, in the Andes of northwestern Argentina. The mummies were discovered (and recovered for ulterior preservation and study) during scientific excavations codirected by the author of this paper at the highest archaeological site in the world. The mummies belonged to children that were sacrificed five hundred years ago, under the rule of the Inca Empire, as part of a state-controlled ceremony known as capacocha. According to the historical sources written during the Hispanic conquest, the Inca human sacrifices were performed in response to natural catastrophes, the death of the Inca emperor, or to propitiate the mountain spirits that grant fertility. The selected children and the young acllas or “chosen women” were taken in processions to the highest summits of the Andes to be sacrificed. They were believed to become messengers into the world of the mountain deities and the spirits of the ancestors. Numerous interdisciplinary studies were conducted on the frozen mummies between 1999 and 2004, a time span during which the “Llullaillaco children” were preserved at the Catholic University of Salta (UCASAL). These studies included radiological evaluations by conventional X-rays and CT scans, which provided information about condition and pathology of the bones and internal organs; as well as dental studies oriented to the estimation of the ages of the three children at the time of death. Ancient DNA studies and hair analysis were also performed in cooperation with academic institutions in the United States and Europe, including the Institute of Bioscience at the George Mason University, the University of Bradford and the Laboratory of Biological Anthropology at the University of Copenhagen. In this paper we focus on the frozen bodies of mount Llullaillaco as objects for bioarchaeological and medical research, providing an overview on the paleopathology of the mummies that are among the best preserved known to date. |
publishDate |
2014 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2014-01 |
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo |
format |
article |
status_str |
publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv |
http://hdl.handle.net/11336/12384 Ceruti, Maria Constanza; Overview of the Inca frozen mummies from Mount Lullaillaco (Argentina); Equinox Publishing; Journal of Glacial Archaeology; 1; 1; 1-2014; 79-97 2050-3393 2050-3407 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11336/12384 |
identifier_str_mv |
Ceruti, Maria Constanza; Overview of the Inca frozen mummies from Mount Lullaillaco (Argentina); Equinox Publishing; Journal of Glacial Archaeology; 1; 1; 1-2014; 79-97 2050-3393 2050-3407 |
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv |
eng |
language |
eng |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/http://dx.doi.org/10.1558/jga.v1i1.79 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://journals.equinoxpub.com/index.php/JGA/article/view/16639 |
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/ |
eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
rights_invalid_str_mv |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/ |
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv |
application/pdf application/pdf |
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Equinox Publishing |
publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Equinox Publishing |
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv |
reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET) instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
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Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
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CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas |
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dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar |
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13.13397 |