The Inca mummies of sacrificed children and women

The Inca widely practiced human sacrifice. Most often sacrificed prisoners captured during wars and raids. But the most trusted messengers to the gods, ancestors could only be specially selected, beautiful children — lacking physical defects and have not reached puberty. While children strangled, smashed their skulls with clubs, buried alive.

Sensational discovery a few years ago allowed scientists to answer many questions associated with ritual sacrifices of the Incas. Then the peaks of the Andes were found three well-preserved mummified children's bodies. These children were sacrificed over 500 years ago, but their mummy perfectly preserved. And recently, scientists made a conclusion that the mummy women for a long time kept in the German Museum, also belongs to the Incas. And she also had signs of violent death.

1. Three child mummies were discovered on top of a volcano Llullaillaco, located on the border of Argentina and Chile. The top of the volcano is situated at altitude 6 739 m above sea level and the temperature is low enough that the body preserved and turned into mummies. According to scientists, these children were sacrificed to the volcano about 500 years ago. On the photo: the Same volcano Llullaillaco, on top of which was discovered the mummy of a child.

2. Mummy 15-year-old girl sacrificed about 15 years ago. Scientists are almost sure that the girl suffocated. The bodies of three children sacrificed five hundred years ago, perfectly preserved. Their hair, skin and DNA can answer many questions scientists. Forensic pathologists were able to determine how dead these children.

3. The mummy of 6-year-old girl also found at the top of the Argentine volcano Llullaillaco. On her body found traces of a lightning strike, so she most likely died from it.

4. All three mummies, including this 7 – year-old boy kept in the Museum of high mountain archeology in where, Argentina.

5. X-rays of the brain 6-year-old girl showed that she was struck by lightning. Here it is shown that the orbits with the eyes, optic nerves (arrows) and optic muscles.

6. X-ray of the brain of a 15-year-old girl shows that between white and grey matter of the brain there is a division. Arrows point to the air surrounding the brain.

7. And that x-rays showed that the brain 5-year-old boy remained in perfect condition.

8. Scientists have also concluded that preparing for the sacrifice of children, in particular, 15-year-old girl who regularly given drugs and alcohol to be more submissive.

9. In his article of 29 July 2013 in the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," scientists concluded that children regularly consumed Coca leaves and alcohol. 15-year-old girl injected most of the drugs in her last year of life and peak of the use of the Coca leaf occurred in the last six months of her life.

10. Scientists also found a piece of pressed Coca between teeth girl that suggests that she chewed it to calm down before you die.

11. Not so long ago it became known that the mysterious mummy is more than a century formerly in the collection of the German Museum, it may be a woman of the tribe of the Incas, who died from multiple blows to the head, probably during the ritual murder.

12. At the head of the mummy were gum Alpaca and llamas. It could say that the mummy is native to South America.

13. Her skull was also characteristic "variety" bones that only South American Nations, but not European.

14. On the one hand the face of the mummy looked quite normal, but inside her skull bones were broken.

15. As you can see, the front part of her skull is completely fractured.

16. The pictures also showed signs of the compacted wall of the heart and a swollen intestine. Most likely, this was caused by Chagas disease.

17. X-rays of the body of the Inca mummies.