Sunday, 31 August 2014
After my visit to the Convent of Santa Catalina, I went to the Santuarios Andinos Museum to see the mummy Juanita. The mummy is that of a young girl of 12-13, was from a noble family (from the clothes she was wearing) and was sacrificed atop the 6,380m-high Volcano Ampato. She would most probably have had to trek up the volcano which was no easy feat at that time, and for the ritual, she most probably had to be a vegetarian and was most probably given chicha (corn liqueur) (she was found in such pristine condition that her stomach contents were still in tact, vegetables and chicha). They most probably gave her this to calm her down, and then she was killed by a blow to her head, on the right side of her temple. Then she was buried in a foetal position near the volcano, she was not actually mummified but became so due to the ice. And explosion from a nearby volcano dislodged her and she was found, quite by accident.
Many other bodies of children were discovered near the mountains, both boys and girls. It was common for the Incas to sacrifice children as offerings to the gods for good weather, safe conditions, etc although this is rare. Sacrificing llamas and alpacas were more common. Children who are to be sacrificed are chosen from very young, and groomed for this role. It is very sad, although for the families of children who were sacrificed, it was an honour.
After this visit, I had nothing to do so I walked around a bit, had an empanada (it's the local version of a curry puff, I promise you) and came back to the hostel. I'm not sure what I'm going to do later, maybe walk around at night, or maybe I will just take it easy today and relax. Arequipa is approximately 3,200 meters above sea level, and they recommend drinking coca tea to get used to the altitude but I'm feeling ok. Maybe in Cusco!
After my visit to the Convent of Santa Catalina, I went to the Santuarios Andinos Museum to see the mummy Juanita. The mummy is that of a young girl of 12-13, was from a noble family (from the clothes she was wearing) and was sacrificed atop the 6,380m-high Volcano Ampato. She would most probably have had to trek up the volcano which was no easy feat at that time, and for the ritual, she most probably had to be a vegetarian and was most probably given chicha (corn liqueur) (she was found in such pristine condition that her stomach contents were still in tact, vegetables and chicha). They most probably gave her this to calm her down, and then she was killed by a blow to her head, on the right side of her temple. Then she was buried in a foetal position near the volcano, she was not actually mummified but became so due to the ice. And explosion from a nearby volcano dislodged her and she was found, quite by accident.
Many other bodies of children were discovered near the mountains, both boys and girls. It was common for the Incas to sacrifice children as offerings to the gods for good weather, safe conditions, etc although this is rare. Sacrificing llamas and alpacas were more common. Children who are to be sacrificed are chosen from very young, and groomed for this role. It is very sad, although for the families of children who were sacrificed, it was an honour.
After this visit, I had nothing to do so I walked around a bit, had an empanada (it's the local version of a curry puff, I promise you) and came back to the hostel. I'm not sure what I'm going to do later, maybe walk around at night, or maybe I will just take it easy today and relax. Arequipa is approximately 3,200 meters above sea level, and they recommend drinking coca tea to get used to the altitude but I'm feeling ok. Maybe in Cusco!
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