Researchers find traces of cocaine and alcohol in the bodies of three mummified children

Aug 6, 2013 20:56 GMT  ·  By

A study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences sheds new light on Inca rituals involving human sacrifices. Thus, researchers say that, before being offered to the gods, Inca children were given both cocaine and alcohol.

The archaeologists now stating that infants and teenagers who were about to be sacrificed were first prepared for their ritual death base their claims on data collected while analyzing the mummified bodies of three children.

Their remains were found close to the top of a volcanic mountain named Llullaillaco, which sits at the border between Argentina and Chile.

It appears that, before before being discovered, these mummies had spent roughly 500 years frozen and undisturbed.

EurekAlert reports that, of these three children, one was a 13-year-old girl dubbed The Llullaillaco Maiden. The other two were a boy and a girl estimated to have been about 4 or 5 years old at the time of their death.

Investigations revealed that, about twelve months prior to her death, the 13-year-old girl had started consuming a noteworthy amount of coca leaves.

Furthermore, evidence suggests that, a few weeks before she was killed, the girl's alcohol intake had also increased.

The remains of the other two children were also found to contain traces of cocaine and alcohol.

Interestingly enough, none of the bodies shows signs of injuries, which is why specialists say that it is highly unlikely that the children suffered physical abuses.

On the contrary, they were merely drugged, placed in tombs and left there to die.

“We can see that the ritual sacrifice has been prepared for a long time and that sustained consumption of drugs apparently was a part of the preparations prior to the sacrifice itself,” researcher Niels Lynnerup from the Department of Forensic Medicine at the University of Copenhagen comments on these findings.

“Now we know more precisely what happened in an Inca sacrifice, for example to what extent coca and alcohol were used as part of the Inca ritual in the months and weeks preceding a sacrifice,” he adds.

Specialists believe that the three children were administered said drugs under strict supervision, and that the doping was intended to ensure the success of the ritual sacrifice.