Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Mummy Juanita - Peruvian Ice Mummy

 

            The Peruvian ice mummy also known as Mummy Juanita is an Inca ice mummy that has been frozen for over 500 years. The body of mummy Juanita had been undiscovered for hundreds of years until the surrounding snow and ice melted due to an erupting volcano nearby, and a couple of hikers stumbled upon her. She was found in Peru on mount Ampato, September 1995 by anthropologist, Johan Reinhard and his climbing partner Miguel Zarate. On a second expedition in October 1955, two other frozen mummies were found on the mountain. This together with the multiple items found with Juanita suggested a ritual sacrifice. .
             Reinhard and Zarate were hiking up Mount Ampato when they came across an odd looking bundle. When they got closer and rolled the bundle over, Reinhard and Zarate realised it was a small human body. They later discovered the body was that of a young girl aged 13 – 15, weighing around 100 pounds and thought to have been sacrificed around 1470. Along with Juanita, many items were found strewn down the mountain side such as bowls, pins and figurines of gold silver and shell. These are thought to have been offerings to the Incan gods. Juanita was so well preserved by the ice that her hair remained intact along with her skin, teeth, internal organs, blood, stomach contents and clothing. Mummy Juanita was dressed in the finer clothing of the age, wore a hat made from Macaw feathers and a woollen shawl of many colors. This suggests she was royalty. .
             It was thought that the three children were sacrifices to the Incan gods. The sacrifices are usually chosen when the child is born, so they grow up specifically to be a sacrifice. A year before their death, their diets changed drastically, from plant based meals to foods rich in protein. The ice had preserved her so well; scientists could tell her last meal was 6 – 8 hours before her death and contained vegetables. This whole process lasted the year before the children sacrifices were walked up the mountain and killed.


Essays Related to Mummy Juanita - Peruvian Ice Mummy