Mummy Juanita facts for kids

Momia Juanita is a famous mummy from the ancient Inca Empire. Her name means "Mummy Juanita" in Spanish. People also call her the Lady of Ampato or the Ice Maiden. She was a young girl, about 12 to 15 years old. The Incas sacrificed her to their gods sometime between 1440 and 1480.

Scientists found her perfectly preserved body on Mount Ampato in Peru in 1995. The mountain's freezing temperatures kept her body frozen like ice. This is why she is called the Ice Maiden. Juanita has been shown in museums in Peru and even in Japan. In 1995, Time magazine called her one of the world's top ten discoveries.

Discovering the Ice Maiden

In September 1995, two explorers, anthropologist Johan Reinhard and Miguel Zárate, were climbing Mount Ampato. This mountain is very tall, about 20,700 feet (6,300 meters) high. They found a bundle that had fallen from an ancient Inca site. Recent ice melt and a volcano eruption had caused it to move.

To their surprise, the bundle held the frozen body of a young girl. Juanita was almost completely frozen. This helped save her internal organs, hair, skin, and even the food in her stomach.

Items Found with Juanita

Many items were found near Juanita. These were offerings left for the Inca gods. They included llama bones, small statues, and pottery pieces. There were also food items like corn kernels. They found special shells called spondylus shells. These shells came from the ocean and were used in rain ceremonies.

Juanita's clothes looked like those worn by important people from Cusco. Cusco was the capital city of the Inca Empire. Because she was found close to Cusco and wore rich clothing, experts think she might have come from a noble family.

The explorers quickly took Juanita's body to Arequipa. They wanted to keep her from thawing. Her body was first kept in a special refrigerator at a university. Later, she traveled to the United States for a special scan. She also went on display in Japan. She is one of the best-preserved mummies found in the Andes mountains.

More Discoveries

After Juanita, more ice mummies were found. In October 1995, two more mummies, a young girl and a boy, were discovered. Another female mummy was found in December 1997. These discoveries happened because ash from a nearby volcano, Sabancaya, melted more ice. This caused ancient Inca burial sites to fall into gullies. Dr. Reinhard wrote a book about these amazing finds called The Ice Maiden.

Preparing for the Sacrifice

Scientists studied Juanita's well-preserved hair. They took DNA from it to learn about her diet. Her hair showed that she ate foods like animal protein and corn. These were foods eaten by important people. Most Incas ate mostly vegetables. This suggests she had a special diet before her sacrifice.

How Juanita Died

A doctor named Elliot K. Fishman studied Juanita's body. He found that she died from a strong blow to her head.

The Capacocha Ritual

The Incas had a special ritual called Capacocha. This was a very important ceremony. It happened for big events like yearly festivals or when an emperor died. It also happened when a royal son was born or after a battle victory. The Incas performed this ritual to stop natural disasters. These included volcano eruptions, droughts, earthquakes, and diseases.

Children for Sacrifice

Inca rulers chose boys and girls for these sacrifices. They were usually between 12 and 16 years old. Studies show that these children came from different areas. They were brought to the Inca capital, Cusco. Then, they might travel for months to the sacred mountain where they would be sacrificed.

Why Juanita Was Sacrificed

Juanita was likely sacrificed to please the Inca gods, called Apus. This often meant sacrificing a child at a huaca. A huaca was a special ceremonial place, like Mount Ampato. Children were chosen because the Incas believed they were pure. They thought children were worthy gifts for the gods.

Once sacrificed, these children were believed to become messengers to the Apus. They would help the people by talking to the gods. People would then worship the sacrificed children along with the gods. These ceremonies happened every year, every season, or for special events.

Connecting Climate and Culture

Juanita and others were probably sacrificed after volcano eruptions. There were eruptions on nearby volcanoes like Misti (around 1440-1450) and Sabancaya (1466). Volcano eruptions can change the weather for several years. They can cause unusual dry or wet periods. Often, they lead to droughts or less rain. Ash from explosions can also make water and air dirty.

It is likely that Juanita was sacrificed because of these weather changes. The Incas wanted to calm the gods and get water. They believed that mountains and their spirits controlled the weather and water. The success of their crops and people depended on the mountain gods providing water. Water was seen as a source of life. It was also linked to women and fertility. So, mountains that gave water were seen as female gods by the Incas. In Southern Peru, they believed sacrificing a young girl would please the mountain goddess. This would make sure the region had a steady water supply.

Some people also think child sacrifice was a political tool. Inca leaders might have used it to control their large empire. Sacrifices during times of empire growth could create both respect and fear. This would make people more devoted to the Inca rulers.

See also

In Spanish: Momia Juanita para niños

• Children of Llullaillaco
• Chinchorro mummies
• "Inca Mummy Girl"
• Ötzi the Iceman
• Pazyryk Ice Maiden
• Plomo Mummy