This 15-Year-Old Girl Lived in the Inca Empire and Was Sacrificed 500 Years Ago as an Offering to the Gods

Over 500 years ago, a 13-year-old Inca girl was sacrificed and left to die on a freezing mountain.

According to Express, this young girl lived in South America during the Inca civilization. Her mummified body amazed researchers because it was so well-preserved and revealed that she had been a virgin at the time of her death.

The unfortunate Inca girl was chosen at the age of 12 to serve as a scapegoat. She had to live away from her parents, preparing for a long journey and a heavy responsibility.

Her clothing and food were carefully selected throughout this period. In the weeks leading up to her death, the girl was given alcoholic drinks and hallucinogenic drugs to ease her into the process. When the time for the sacrifice arrived, the girl consumed a large amount of alcohol and had coca leaves in her mouth to help her pass away peacefully.

The young girl was placed in an icy tomb with her legs crossed, her head tilted forward, dressed in fur garments, and wearing a feathered hat. Then, she was left to die from the cold as part of the gruesome Inca ritual of child sacrifice.

Over 500 years later, in 1999, scientists discovered the mummy of the girl along with two other children, aged 4 to 5, near the volcanic region of Llullaillaco in Argentina. This area is considered one of the best places for preserving mummies due to its year-round cold climate.

This macabre ritual of sacrifice continued for a long time until the Spanish arrived in South America in the 16th century.

Dr. Andrew Wilson of the University of Bradford, who led the investigation, stated: “Thanks to the intact mummy, we can uncover details about this girl’s life.”

According to scientists, the girl entered a state of unconsciousness due to consuming coca leaves during the year she was chosen for the sacrifice.

The research team confirmed that the girl passed away peacefully, showing no signs of violence or resistance. “The girl accepted her fate, perhaps without fully realizing it. The cold, high altitude, and lack of oxygen caused her to fall asleep for eternity,” said researcher Emma Brown.

Researchers still do not fully understand the purpose of the sacrifice. It could have been to pray for a good harvest, or it might have been a human sacrifice intended to frighten and control members of the civilization.

Those selected for sacrifice were required to be virgins, according to Brown. “The Incas believed that for a sacrifice to succeed, the chosen one needed to be a young and untouched woman.”

More than 500 years have passed, and the research team cannot determine whether the girl felt proud of her noble mission or if she simply accepted her grim fate. The researchers hope that in her final moments, the girl truly felt nothing as she was sacrificed.