The Archaeological Project
Capacocha
When the Inca died, and the eldest son who succeeded him as ruler was raised to kingship (...), they performed countless ceremonies, festivities, and sacrifices with various inventions and celebrations; and among these, they used to sacrifice two hundred children aged four to ten years, who were offered to the Creator and to the Sun
for the life of the new Inca—so that he might be protected and granted victory over his enemies, live many years, and during his reign there would be no famine nor lack of fruits of the earth, nor would there be drought, nor pestilence, nor rebellion, and, in short, that everything would go well for the Inca, making him feared by his own people and by his enemies.
Martín de Murúa, 1946 [1590]: L. II, Cap. XXXIX
View on Misti volcano
Capacocha was the most important ritual in the Inca Empire, during which children and young women were sacrificed to the gods. It was an act of great religious and political significance, aimed at ensuring harmony and prosperity within the Empire. The victims were selected from among the most beautiful children in the provinces. This ritual was associated with major events that could disrupt the cosmic order, such as the death of a ruler or natural disasters (earthquakes, droughts, volcanic eruptions, epidemics). The children traveled from Cusco to sacrificial sites, sometimes located hundreds of kilometers away, often on the summits of volcanoes regarded as important deities.
As part of the project, human remains, artifacts, and botanical remains found on mountain summits in southern Peru and northwestern Argentina are being studied. Since 2022, fieldwork has been conducted on the volcanoes Chachani (6,057 m a.s.l.), Misti (5,882 m a.s.l.), and Pichu Pichu (5,664 m a.s.l.) in southern Peru.
Face reconstruction
Lady of Ampato
Field Research
Fieldwork is being conducted in southern Peru. The first two research seasons focused on identifying and documenting the religious network and waystations (known as tambos) on the three volcanoes surrounding the modern city of Arequipa. Modern research methods were employed during the fieldwork. The sites were documented using drones and LiDAR technology. 3D models of the preserved structures were also created. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) was used to analyze the construction phases of the tambos. The results of these studies will help determine excavation units for the upcoming research seasons.
Mummy Research
During the expeditions of Johan Reinhard and Antonio Chavez in the 1990s, burials were discovered on the summits of volcanoes in southern Peru and Argentina. Some of them underwent natural mummification due to their location above the permanent snow line. These remains are an invaluable source of knowledge about living conditions and health in the Inca Empire. Traditional anthropological analyses were conducted on the skeletons, including bone measurements, age estimation, and assessments of health status. The frozen mummies from the Ampato and Sara Sara volcanoes were also examined using computed tomography (CT) scanning.
Lab Analysis
As part of the project, laboratory analyses are being conducted on human tissues, botanical remains, and artifacts. To reconstruct the diet and origins of the children, isotopic analyses (of strontium, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen) as well as ancient DNA studies are carried out. Toxicological research has enabled the identification of psychoactive substances administered to the children during the final months of their journey to sacred sites. The analysis of botanical remains also allows for a precise reconstruction of the chronology of events.
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