Ancient Inca kids on display

2005-07-20 13:03

Buenos Aires - The mummified corpses of three ancient Inca children believed to have been ritually sacrificed at the top of an Andean volcano will go on exhibit for the first time in an Argentine museum in November.

The 500-year-old mummies were discovered in perfect condition in 1999 near the summit of the 6 739 metre Llullaillaco volcano, at what is considered the world's highest archaeological site.

The well-preserved corpses include two girls and a boy, whose age Argentine dental experts put at 15, six and seven years old, respectively, when they died.

Uncovered by a National Geographic expedition of US and Argentine scientists, the "Children of Llullaillaco", as the mummies are called, were buried 1.5 metres underground together with small statues, clay pottery and cloths often connected with Incan sacrificial rituals.

Expedition members said the three appeared to have been ritually sacrificed and then frozen at the high altitude, which explains their perfect condition, two of them with internal organs completely intact.

The mummies will be shown at the Museum of High Altitude Archaeology in the northern province of Salta under tightly controlled atmospheric conditions to ensure that they are not damaged.

- AFP