Children of Llullaillaco facts for kids
The Children of Llullaillaco (pronounced: yoo-yai-YAH-ko), also known as the Mummies of Llullaillaco, are three Inca child mummies. They were found on March 16, 1999, by Johan Reinhard and his team. They were discovered near the top of Llullaillaco, a tall volcano (6,739 m or 22,110 ft) on the border between Argentina and Chile.
These children were part of a special Inca religious ritual around the year 1500. Reinhard said these mummies "appear to be the best preserved Inca mummies ever found." Other experts agree, calling them some of the best-preserved mummies in the world.
On June 20, 2001, Argentina declared the Children of Llullaillaco a National Historic Property. Since 2007, you can see them at the Museum of High Altitude Archaeology in Salta, Argentina.
The Inca Empire and Special Rituals
The Inca Empire was the largest empire in the Americas before Christopher Columbus arrived. It was also one of the biggest empires in the world in the early 1500s. The Inca people started in the Andes Mountains in what is now Peru, around the city of Cusco.
The Inca Empire grew very quickly starting in 1438 under the ruler Pachacuti. They conquered many lands along the Andes mountains, creating a huge empire in less than 100 years. The empire was at its largest around 1530. Soon after, it began to decline and fell in 1533 when the Spanish arrived.
The Inca religion included a special ceremony called capacocha. This ritual was very important and was often done to mark big events, like the death of an emperor. It was also a way to ask the gods for protection or good harvests. Only the Inca emperor could approve these ceremonies.
Children were chosen from all over the empire for these rituals. They were picked because they were seen as "physically perfect." These children were usually the sons and daughters of important leaders. They would travel hundreds or thousands of miles to Cusco, the capital city. There, they took part in important purification rituals. After that, they were sent to high mountaintops across the empire for the ceremony. The Inca believed that children who took part in this ritual did not truly die. Instead, they would watch over the land from their mountain homes, alongside their ancestors. The Inca thought it was a great honor to be chosen for this special ritual.
Many other well-preserved mummies, like Mummy Juanita, have also been found on Andean mountaintops.
The Burial Place
Llullaillaco is a volcano that stands 6,739 meters (22,110 feet) tall. It is located in the Andes Mountains on the border between Chile and Argentina. When the mummies were found, their burial site was covered by about 1.5 meters (5 feet) of earth and rock. This site is known as "the world's highest archaeological site."
Llullaillaco is in the Atacama Desert, which is the driest non-polar desert on Earth. The extremely dry air and very cold temperatures helped keep the mummies in excellent condition for 500 years. Cold and dry conditions slow down how fast bodies break down. This is why the environment at the top of Llullaillaco was perfect for preserving them.
Finding the Mummies Again
In 1999, Johan Reinhard and his team went into the high Andes to look for Inca ritual sites. After three days of searching, Reinhard's team found a grave with three mummified children: two girls and one boy. They also found several gold, shell, and silver statues, along with textiles and pottery.
The expedition faced many challenges. The team spent a month getting used to the high altitude on a nearby mountain. Then, they slowly climbed Llullaillaco, setting up camps along the way. They had to deal with very strong winds, over 70 mph (31 m/s), and extremely cold temperatures, sometimes dropping to -40°C (-40°F). At their last camp, at 6,600 meters (21,650 feet), a storm lasted for four days. Reinhard said the team "was about to give up" when they saw an unusual layer in the ground. This sign told them to keep looking. They followed this layer, which led them to the burial site of one of the mummies.
The Mummies Themselves
Three mummies were found at the Llullaillaco site: la doncella (the maiden), la niña del rayo (the lightning girl), and el niño (the boy). Once at the top of the mountain, they were given a special drink that made them fall asleep. Then, they were placed in a small tomb about 1.5 meters (5 feet) underground. Before the ritual, they had been fed a diet rich in protein.
The mummies were in amazing condition when they were found. Reinhard mentioned that their arms were perfectly preserved, even down to individual hairs. Their internal organs were still in place, and one heart even had frozen blood inside. Because the mummies froze before they could dry out, their organs did not shrivel up, which usually happens to bodies exposed to the elements.
The Maiden (La doncella)
The oldest mummy was a girl, about fifteen years old, named la doncella. She is widely known as the "Maiden of Llullaillaco." Doctors found a bacterial infection in her lungs during an examination. She wore a dress, and her hair was braided in a fancy way with a feather headdress. She passed away in her sleep, just like the other children.
It is thought that La Doncella was an aclla, or Sun Virgin. This meant she was a virgin chosen and set apart around the age of ten. She would live with other girls and women who might become royal wives, priestesses, or chosen for special rituals. The Inca believed these rituals helped ensure good health, rich harvests, and good weather.
The Lightning Girl (La niña del rayo)
La niña del rayo was about six years old when she was part of the ritual. Her face, one ear, and part of her shoulder were damaged by a lightning strike that happened after her death. Her head was held high and faced south-west. She wore a traditional light brown acsu dress. Her head and part of her body were wrapped in a thick wool blanket. Her whole body was also wrapped in another blanket, which was embroidered in red and yellow. Her skull looked like it had been shaped to be longer on purpose.
La niña del rayo seemed to have been treated more gently than el niño, but not with the same careful attention as la doncella.
The Boy (El niño)
El niño was about seven years old. His body had been tightly wrapped, causing some of his ribs and pelvis to be out of place. Some signs suggested he might have been stressed. There were also tiny insects (nits) in his hair. He was the only child who was tied up. He was found in a curled-up position, wearing a gray tunic, a silver bracelet, and leather shoes. He was wrapped in a red and brown blanket. Like la niña del rayo, his skull had been slightly elongated. Because of how he was tied, some believe he might have died from suffocation.
El niño was buried with small objects. Some of these showed finely dressed men leading groups of llamas. A wool sling was wrapped around his head. Slings were used by men in a ritual to throw stones into lagoons at the end of the dry season, hoping to bring the rains faster.
Where You Can See Them
The mummies are on display at the Museum of High Altitude Archaeology in Salta, Argentina. This museum is entirely dedicated to showing these mummies. The area where Salta city is now was part of the Inca Empire before the Spanish arrived in the late 1500s.
To keep the mummies safe, a special computer system controls the climate in the museum. It keeps the conditions exactly like those on Llullaillaco mountain. If there's an emergency like an earthquake and the power goes out, the governor's plane is ready to fly the mummies to another place where they can be kept safe. The museum opened to the public in September 2007.
Before the museum was built, the Catholic University of Salta protected the mummies. It took eight years of research to figure out how to show the mummies to the public while keeping them perfectly preserved.
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See also
In Spanish: Momias de Llullaillaco para niños
