Inca Child Sacrifice
Many archaeologists working in Peru have made finds that are both wondrous and gruesome. Many readers have seen images of the child mummies of the Inca. These are mummies of children sacrificed to the Inca gods, often in response to a significant event, like an earthquake or famine. Unlike the more familiar Egyptian mummies, these are natural mummies, mummified by the harsh environment of Peru.
The Inca took human sacrifice quite seriously; the sacrificial ritual or the Capacocha was quite important to their religious faith, but remains shrouded in mystery. Child sacrifices were typically the children of chiefs and nobility, and were chosen for their beauty. The child or children chosen had to be physically perfect, and for a time before the sacrifice, were treated as divine. The family received significant honor for the sacrifice.
While the Aztec practice of human sacrifice was relatively quick and straightforward in many cases, the practice of child sacrifice among the Inca was, on the other hand, rather elaborate. The child, accompanied by priests, family members, and other nobility, would be taken on a journey to Cusco from their home village, with feasts and celebration with the emperor. After this period of feasting, the child would be taken to a base camp at a lower elevation of a high mountain. These base camps provided comfortable residences for priests, sacrificial victims, and workers during the construction of a sacrificial altar much higher on the mountain.
The sacrificial altar was a sort of large platform, with heavy retaining walls on all four sides; these would serve as the child’s tomb, along with significant and valuable grave goods.
Analysis of these child mummies suggests that they were given alcohol to reduce any discomfort before being placed within the platform. Skull fractures on the bodies suggest that they were likely knocked out with a single blow to the head, likely cushioned to reduce any potential suffering from exposure. The priests continued to return to the site, making offerings, for some time after the child’s death.
The mummies of the child sacrifices of the Inca are, for modern observers, sad and tragic. Within the context of their own culture, these children were honored gifts to the gods. Their bodies serve as a potent reminder of their sacrifice.