In the last blog post we gave a history of the Inka religion as it correlated with the Capac Hucha rituals preformed in the empire. With this information in hand, it should be easier to interpret and understand the cultural reasons behind the Capac Hucha. To review, the Capac Hucha was a ritual that was undertaken at monumental occasions in Inka history, most specifically the Death or Coronation of an emperor, which involved the ritual sacrifice of children in order to appease the gods. Despite our own cultural bias and morals, when viewing this it is important to remember that this was a different society and that such a ritual was considered an honor; many children were voluntarily sacrificed. Human sacrifices, particularly those of children, were made in times of famine, epidemic, and military defeat, or on the summer and winter solstices, the most sacred events of the Inka ceremonial calendar.
Through archaeological data, the further study of the beliefs associated with this practiced have been significantly increased. Such is the case with the story we will focus on today regarding two 15 year old girls, one dubbed Sarita by the team that found her, whose bodies were found in amazingly preserved condition at a site of a Capac Hucha shrine.
Through archaeological data, the further study of the beliefs associated with this practiced have been significantly increased. Such is the case with the story we will focus on today regarding two 15 year old girls, one dubbed Sarita by the team that found her, whose bodies were found in amazingly preserved condition at a site of a Capac Hucha shrine.
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| Location of Archaeological site in which Sarita was found |
One of the most magnificent discoveries that took the study of Inka rite of Capac Hucha to a much deeper level was that of a seven year old girl nicknamed “Sarita.” She was discovered in September 1996 by Johan Reinhard and José Antonio Chavez on top of the 18,070 foot Andean peak Sara Sara in Southern Peru. As mentioned in the previous blog post, mountains were particularly sacred to the Inka empire and were considered divine themselves. The location of these shrines would not have been random, but would have been strategically chosen.
The Inca’s selected the loacations for their Capac Hucha by choosing places near to what they believed to be their most powerful deities, the deities of the sky. Therefore many of these locations are found on the highest points throuhout the Inca Empire. These Include Cerro El Plomo and cerro Esmeralda in Chile, Llullaillacoin Argentina, and Mt. Chachani in Peru. Llullaillaco is also the fifth highest volcano in the world and the seventh highest mountain in the Western hemisphere. Geologists have not been able to determine if the Inca may have witnessed an eruption of this volcano, but have dated the latest eruption to 1877.
The Inca’s selected the loacations for their Capac Hucha by choosing places near to what they believed to be their most powerful deities, the deities of the sky. Therefore many of these locations are found on the highest points throuhout the Inca Empire. These Include Cerro El Plomo and cerro Esmeralda in Chile, Llullaillacoin Argentina, and Mt. Chachani in Peru. Llullaillaco is also the fifth highest volcano in the world and the seventh highest mountain in the Western hemisphere. Geologists have not been able to determine if the Inca may have witnessed an eruption of this volcano, but have dated the latest eruption to 1877.
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| Mountain Sara Sara: Location in which Sarita was found |
Sarita’s decomposed body was found in a fetal position on a platform that faced the sun on the eastern side of the mountain. It was very well preserved, due to the climate conditions of the mountain therefore enabling scientists to better analyze what was going on 500 years ago when she was given as an offering to the Inka Gods. This is a very important discovery to the archaeological analysis because the way in which the body was oriented and taken care of (the food and drink given) before the ritual will allow archaeologist to better understand actual proceedings of the Capac Hucha ritual itself.
Check out the video in the blog above labeled "Mummified Child Sacrifice" to see how Sarita's hair was analyzed by scientists and used to discover her diet!
It is very important for archaeologists to examine the orientation and decoration of such a burial, especially with a case like Sarita. So lets see what they found!
Found in a fetal position, Sarita had been placed on the platform along with three gold and silver statuettes and a small bundle of coca leaves, these were traditional offerings to the mountain gods. Seven more artifacts were discovered including the following six-inch-tall silver female statuette draped in textiles; one silver and one gold male statuette; a female figurine and a llama carved out of spondylus shell; and one gold and one silver llama--were discovered in a cache on a nearby platform.
The children were buried with an elaborate assemblage of luxury artifacts, including gold and silver miniature female figurines, red Spondylus shell figurines of females and llamas, several sets of fine ceramics, gold, silver, and bronze tupu pins, a garment covered with gilded metal disks, and large amounts of cloth.
Approximately 3 m from the group burial, an additional child was uncovered with the most elaborate artifact of all—a silver figurine approximately 25 cm in height with a Spondylus shell headdress and fragments of cloth. The figurine was modeled with male anatomy and its hands positioned across its chest. Around this artifact were miniature gold, silver, and Spondylus figurines of human males and llamas, with even more rich offerings found nearby, including miniature silver and gold headdress ornaments, gold and silver llama figurines, Spondylus shell male human figures, a miniature bracelet, and pieces of gold foil.
This offering found adjacent to the child burials along with miniature silver and gold headdress ornaments, gold and silver llama figurines, Spondylus shell male human figures, a miniature bracelet, and pieces of gold foil.
Citations
"Inka Child Sacrifice." Archaeology Magazine. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/inka.html>.
Capa Hucha locations: Llullaillaco, world’s highest active volcano,Cerro El Plomo and Cerro Esmeralda in Chile, Mt. Lullaillaco in Argentina, and Mt. Chachani in Peru.
Capa Hucha locations: Llullaillaco, world’s highest active volcano,Cerro El Plomo and Cerro Esmeralda in Chile, Mt. Lullaillaco in Argentina, and Mt. Chachani in Peru.
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