World History
CNN has an article up titled Mummy of girl sacrificed by Incans prompts gasps. It details a display of a mummy of a 15 year old girl in Salta, Argentina who was killed 500 years ago in a sacrifice. The mummy is well preserved and the features on the girl are very clear. It looks almost like she just went to sleep.
The article notes, "Hundreds of people packed a museum in Salta, Argentina, to see 'la Doncella' -- Spanish for 'the Maiden' -- a 15-year-old girl whose remains were found in 1999 in an icy pit on Llullaillaco volcano, along with a 6-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy. Scientists believe the so-called Children of Llullaillaco were sacrificed more than 500 years ago in a ceremony marking the annual corn harvest. Dressed in fine clothes and given corn alcohol to put them to sleep, the victims were then left to die at an elevation of 22,080 feet."
Central and South American cultures were well known for using human sacrifice. Most of the victims did not die peaceful deaths. At least three children had an easy death passing out in the cold.
To keep the mummy preserved, the museum is pumping in chilled air through a low-oxygen atmosphere. There is a lot to preserve. Her face still shows the red pigment which was on her face. Around her mouth there are flecks of coca leaf, which is chewed by highland Indians to blunt the effects of altitude. I could not find a public domain copy of the mummy so I have not posted it here. However, it is well worth clicking through to read this article at CNN were a copy of the photo is included.
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World History
Children of Llullaillaco Sacrificed with Alcohol
CNN has an article up titled Mummy of girl sacrificed by Incans prompts gasps. It details a display of a mummy of a 15 year old girl in Salta, Argentina who was killed 500 years ago in a sacrifice. The mummy is well preserved and the features on the girl are very clear. It looks almost like she just went to sleep.
The article notes, "Hundreds of people packed a museum in Salta, Argentina, to see 'la Doncella' -- Spanish for 'the Maiden' -- a 15-year-old girl whose remains were found in 1999 in an icy pit on Llullaillaco volcano, along with a 6-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy. Scientists believe the so-called Children of Llullaillaco were sacrificed more than 500 years ago in a ceremony marking the annual corn harvest. Dressed in fine clothes and given corn alcohol to put them to sleep, the victims were then left to die at an elevation of 22,080 feet."
Central and South American cultures were well known for using human sacrifice. Most of the victims did not die peaceful deaths. At least three children had an easy death passing out in the cold.
To keep the mummy preserved, the museum is pumping in chilled air through a low-oxygen atmosphere. There is a lot to preserve. Her face still shows the red pigment which was on her face. Around her mouth there are flecks of coca leaf, which is chewed by highland Indians to blunt the effects of altitude. I could not find a public domain copy of the mummy so I have not posted it here. However, it is well worth clicking through to read this article at CNN were a copy of the photo is included.
- Human Sacrifice And The Aztecs
Human Sacrifice and the Aztecs Although some maintain that the notion that the Aztecs (Mexica) practiced human sacrifice is a myth that originated with the Spanish conquistadores to justify and legitimate their conquests, in fact, abundant evidence demonstrates...
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From the University of Chicago comes this great site for learning how to make a Mummy. It is the Interactive Mummification Tutorial. This is a cool tutorial that actually walks you through the whole process. From the site: Greetings! I am Anubis, the...
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The famous iceman of Italy has some new news. He may have no relatives in the modern world. It appears his particular DNA is now extinct. An article at Yahoo! titled Ancient iceman probably has no modern relatives has the details. It notes: "Otzi," Italy's...
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