One of the most moving highlights of a journey to Salta is a visit to the Museum of High Altitude Archeology. It is almost exclusively dedicated to preserve, honour and study the mummies of three Inca Children, which were discovered on the Volcano Lllullaillaco (6700 meters) in 1999. They were perfectly preserved and accompanied by rich treasure.
There are three children, The Lightening Girl - about 6 years old -, The Boy - about 7 years old - and The Maiden - about 15 years old. Since they have been removed from their remote mountaintop, where they rested in their deep freeze and oxygen free burial sites since their ritual sacrifice (The Ritual of Capacocha) around 1500, they are now on carefully monitored display in Salta's Museum. Cyropreservation, which uses low temperatures, indirect transfer of cold, thermal stability, modified atmosphere and UV and IR filtered lighting, keeps these children in the same condition as found on the mountaintop. Laboratory research is restricted to short time spans and in aseptic cold environment.
Photos are not permitted inside the museum, however, the Internet provided all of the following photos, except the ones of the outside of the museum.
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| The museum is housed in one of the historic buildings surrounding the main square of Salta |
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| The arcades lining the building, adjoining the central park and allowing a vies of Salta Cathedral are lined with side walk cafes |
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| Even after the museum closes early evening, the cafes surrounding it remain open and lively until the early hours of the morning |
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| Surrounding mountain scape of Llullaillaco volcano, where the children were found |
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One of the highest volcanoes between Chile and Argentina, Llullaillaco reaches 6.700 meters into the sky. Even for a present day mountaineer not an easy stroll, how difficult it must have been for the Incas to reach it's very summit.
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To understand the significance of these sacrificed children, it helps to understand a little of the circumstances which led to their plight.
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The Inca Empire was vast, spread over 'Four Corners' of their known world, consisted of several conquered provinces, and was connected by an extensive road system. Parts of the Royal Inca Road are still in existence today, their civil engineering skills still defy comprehension. Roads are built with a precision, even today's surveyors find difficult to repeat, they incorporate stair cases, viaducts, bridges, cliff sides, desert transits, and high mountain passes.
The small squares on above Inca weaving represent the four corners of the empire, two are connected to each other, the other two at the top left and bottom right still need to be incorporated into the whole of the Inca Realm...
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The Children at the time of their discovery, after they had been extracted from their burial wells
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The sacrifice of the children was part of an Incan ceremony called the Ritual de Capacocha. Only during times of upheaval and stress, like the death of an Inca emperor, difficulties during planting or harvesting time or a devastating natural disaster would give cause for this ritual, which was considered to restore natural cosmic order, as well as a duty to the Emperor
From the four corners of the empire, Incas would choose children between 5 and 15 years, selected from the families of chiefs, and being of exceptional beauty and physical perfection. As a side issue, the choice of children was intended to reinforce political and family alliances between chiefs and emperor.
Children were considered symbols of purity before their Deities. Chosen girls lived in the temple of the virgin of the sun, until they were about 8 years old, or destined to proceed to their sacrifice. In the sun temples, many of the girls created ceramics, textiles, dolls, chica liqueur etc - many of which accompanied them to their (not so) final resting place.
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| This little finely woven bag is no larger than 2 cm square....it was found within one of the children's burial treasure |
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| Tiny dolls, no larger than a small finger on a human hand, were buried with the children. Here a small figurine, with an elaborate feather head dress, gold crafted face, and clothing woven in minute detail |
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A miniature drinking vessel, not much larger than a walnut, still with its original woollen strap.
All of the items are in exactly the same condition as they were 500 years ago...
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Departing from their villages, the chosen children would make the long trek along the widespread Inca road system headed for Cusco. They were accompanied by important members of the Religious and Political elite of their originating conquered provinces. Their arduous processions included 'huacas', symbols of the gods, as well as items also offered as sacrifice, such as gold, silver and sacrificial animals. The children went on foot, the ones too small to walk, were carried by their mothers.
Once in Cusco, the visitors would worship the Sun, the mummies of deceased emperors (even the dead were considered to be part of the 'living') and participate in sacrifices. Animals, and some of the children were sacrificed at that occasion. Others, the ones destined for the mountain tops, were symbolically married (these were obviously not consummated) to other sacrificial children, to strengthen inter provincial family ties amongst the highest citizenship.
After this ceremony, the children and their entourage would return home. This time they would walk in a direct line, avoiding the Royal Roads, and crossing hundreds of natural obstacles. The return journey could take weeks, even months. Upon their return together with the high priests and politicians, they would be feasted with great acclaim.
The children enjoyed a high protein and vegetable diet before they would embark on their last journey up to their designated sacred mountains, which were both, symbols of reverence as well as terror. It appears, that their fate was accepted as a duty, which they carried since birth.
The children were dressed in exquisite clothing and fine jewels for their most difficult climb into the high mountains, a very slow and harsh journey especially for the youngest ones. They sucked coca leaves put in their cheeks to fight altitude sickness, fatigue and assist them in breathing. Their travel companions, family members and officials of high rank carried some of the children as well as their 'trousseau' which was to accompany them on their journey to the Deities.
Tiny figure of a llama, carved from semi precious stone
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Herd of miniature llamas, not higher than a couple of centimeters each, accompanied the little boy.
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Once they had reached the sacred mountain top, they would rest in a small stone refugios (still there). Here they would be given an alcoholic drink (chicha - liquor made from corn), once asleep they would be put into a deep well, together with their personal treasure, covered up and left.
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| The Boy, seated on a gray tunic. as every male of the Inca elite, he wears a white feather ornament, held by a woolen string tied around his head. His skull as slighly deformed, an intentional characteristic of people of high birth. He was accompanied by tiny llama herds and finely dressed shepherd dolls, which represents a typical male job. |
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| This fifteen year old girl is wearing a finely crafted outfit, outstanding gold and silver pins on her chest, ornaments made of metal and bone, and graceful braids in her hair. She still wears traces of red pigment on her face, and fragments of coca leaves in her cheek. |
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The Lightning Girl is only six years old. She wears a dress with a multicoloured waist band, a cloak fastened with a pin covers her shoulders. Her treasure included gold, silver, seashells, ceramics food and textiles.
Sometime during the last centuries, a bolt of lighting burnt part of her body, when she was still on the mountain top. |
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Gone since 500 years....but traces of her beauty shine through...difficult for us to understand, heart breaking.
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According to Inca belief, the sacrificed children did not die. They were believed to reunite with their forefathers, and act as pure messengers of the people to the Gods, thus aiding in the welfare of the population at large. Their graves rendered the mountain of their burial sacred, and the mountains were turned into holy places, the Huacas.
More than 500-600 of these sacred mountains, mostly extinct volcanoes, are known in the Andes. May the children, who still sleep their eternal dream in these places half way to heaven, rest in peace...
