A forensic study of eight child mummies from high-altitude sites in Peru and Argentina has found chemical evidence of coca, alcohol and an alkaloid associated with ayahuasca preparations. The children, one boy and seven girls aged between six and 14, died about 500 years ago in capacocha ceremonies, Inca rituals that included sacrifice on mountain peaks. The research was published in Antiquity.
The team analyzed hair and fingernails, where chemicals can remain preserved in keratin as they grow. Cocaine traces appeared in all eight mummies, indicating that each child had consumed coca leaves. The plant was sacred to the Inca and may also have helped ease hunger, fatigue and altitude sickness during the journey to the sacrificial sites.
Four children showed signs of alcohol consumption, which researchers say likely came from chicha, a fermented maize drink. Residue from the beverage has also been found in vessels buried with mummies. The researchers say the use of substances beyond coca differed among individuals and locations, suggesting that preparations were not identical throughout the empire.
One of the mummies studied was the “Lady of Ampato,” also known as Juanita, an adolescent discovered on Peru’s Ampato volcano in 1995. Her fingernails contained harmine, an alkaloid found in a vine used as an ingredient in ayahuasca brews. The researchers suggest it may have been given to improve her mood or ease her fear. The vine grows in the Amazon rainforest, so its presence also points to long-distance trade links with the Andes.
Hair samples can preserve a sequence of chemical exposure over time. In an eight-year-old girl found on Argentina’s Mount Chuscha, the evidence indicated that coca use increased over six months, while alcohol appeared only in her final weeks. Researchers caution that the chemical record cannot reveal exactly how the children felt or experienced the rituals.
Sources: Smithsonian Magazine.