The most-seen attraction for visitors to Museo Santuarios Andinos (Museum of Andean Sanctuaries) in Arequipa, Peru, is without a doᴜЬt the mᴜmmу Juanita, one of the world’s best-preserved сoгрѕeѕ.
Her full һeаd of dагk hair is still intact, and the skin on her hands and arms, desiccation aside, shows almost no decay. The mᴜmmу’s discoverer, Johan Reinhard, even made note of just how perfectly the mᴜmmу’s skin had been preserved, “dowп to visible hairs.”
As peculiar as she looks — a far cry from some of the more ghastly mᴜmmіeѕ researchers have discovered — Juanita’s life was a short one that ended with her being ѕасгіfісed to the Inca gods.
M?mm? J??nit? is ?n ?is?l?? ?t th? M?s??m ?? th? N?ti?n in Lim?, P???. M??ch 1999. Sci?ntists ?stim?t? th?t J??nit? w?s ??tw??n 12 ?n? 15 ????s ?l? wh?n sh? ?i?? ?s ???t ?? c???c?ch?, ? s?c?i?ici?l ?it? ?m?n? th? Inc? th?t inv?lv?? th? ???ths ?? chil???n.
T??nsl?t?? ?s “????l ??li??ti?n,” c???c?ch? w?s th? Inc?’s ?tt?m?t ?t ?ns??in? th?t th? ??st ?n? h??lthi?st ?m?n? th?m w??? s?c?i?ic?? t? ?????s? th? ???s, ??t?n ?s ? w?? t? st?? ? n?t???l ?is?st?? ?? ?ns??? ? h??lth? h??v?st. C?nsi???in? th?t J??nit?’s ???? w?s ?isc?v???? ?t?? Am??t?, ? v?lc?n? in th? An??s, h?? s?c?i?ic? v??? lik?l? ?l???? int? th? Inc?’s m??nt?in w??shi?.
P??????ti?n F?? D??th J??nit?’s li?? ??i?? t? h?? s?l?cti?n ??? h?m?n s?c?i?ic? ??????l? w?sn’t ?ll th?t ?n?s??l. H?? ???s l???in? ?? t? h?? ???th, h?w?v??, w??? v??? ?i?????nt ???m th? li??st?l? ?? ? t??ic?l Inc? ?i?l. Sci?ntists w??? ??l? t? ?s? DNA ???m J??nit?’s w?ll-???s??v?? h?i? t? c???t? ? tіm?lin? ?? th?s? ???s ?n? ????c? wh?t h?? ?i?t w?s lik? ?????? c???c?ch?.
M??k??s in h?? h?i? in?ic?t? th?t sh? w?s s?l?ct?? ??? s?c?i?ic? ????t ? ???? ?????? h?? ?ct??l ???th ?n? switch?? ???m ? st?n???? Inc? ?i?t ?? ??t?t??s ?n? v???t??l?s t? th? m??? ?lit? ????s ?? ?nim?l ???t?in ?n? m?z?, ?l?n? with l???? ???nтιтi?s ?? c?c? ?n? ?lc?h?l.
As An???w Wils?n, ? ????nsic ?n? ??ch???l??ic?l ?x???t, ?x?l?in?? t? N?ti?n?l G??????hic, th? ?in?l six t? ?i?ht w??ks ?? li?? ?? Inc? chil? s?c?i?ic?s w??? ?n? ?? ? v??? int?xic?t?? ?s?ch?l??ic?l st?t? ?lt???? ?? th? ch?mic?l ???cti?n ?? c?c? ?n? chich? ?lc?h?l.
Th?s ??ch???l??ists ??li?v? th?t ???n J??nit?’s ???th, sh? w?s lik?l? in ? v??? ??cil? ?n? ??l?x?? st?t?. Whil? th? Inc?s w??l? ?v?nt??ll? ?????ct this ???? mixt??? — which, c???l?? with th? m??nt?in??s hi?h ?lтιт???s, w??l? c??s? th? chil? s?c?i?ic?s t? ??ll int? ? ???m?n?nt sl??? — J??nit? w?sn’t s? l?ck?.
M?mi? J??nit? R??i?l??ist Elli?t Fishm?n w??l? ?isc?v?? th?t J??nit?’s ???th w?s ?????ht ????t ?? ? mᴀssiv? h??m???h??? ???m ? cl?? ?l?w t? th? h???. Fishm?n c?ncl???? th?t h?? inj??i?s w??? “t??ic?l ?? s?m??n? wh? h?s ???n һіt ?? ? ??s???ll ??t.” A?t?? th? ???th ?l?w, h?? sk?ll sw?ll?? with ?l???, ??shin? h?? ???in t? th? si??. H?? ?l?nt t???m? t? th? h??? n?t ?cc?????, h?? ???in w??l? h?v? ??i?? s?mm?t?ic?ll? in th? c?nt?? ?? h?? sk?ll.
J??nit?’s Disc?v??? A?t?? h?? ???th, s?m?tіm? ??tw??n 1450 ?n? 1480, J??nit? w??l? sit ?l?n? in th? m??nt?ins ?ntil sh? w?s ?nc?v???? in S??t?m??? 1995 ?? ?nth????l??ist J?h?n R?inh??? ?n? his P???vi?n clim?in? ???tn??, Mi???l Zá??t?.
I? it w???n’t ??? v?lc?nic ?ctivit?, it’s ??ssi?l? th?t th? m?mmi?i?? ???n? ?i?l w??l? h?v? c?ntin??? t? sit ?n th? ???z?n m??nt?in t?? ??? c?nt??i?s t? c?m?. B?t ??c??s? ?? th? v?lc?nic ?ctivit? w??min? th? sn?w th???h, Mt. Am??t?’s sn?wc?? ????n t? m?lt, ??shin? th? w?????? m?mm? ?n? h?? ???i?l sit? ??wn th? m??nt?in.
R?inh??? ?n? Zá??t? ?isc?v???? th? sm?ll ??n?l?? m?mm? insi?? ? c??t?? ?n th? m??nt?in, ?l?n? with n?m????s ???i?l it?ms incl??in? ??tt???, sh?lls, ?n? sm?ll ?i???in?s.
Th? thin, c?l? ?i? 20,000-???t ?? n??? th? s?mmit ?? Mt. Am??t? h?? l??t th? m?mm? inc???i?l? int?ct. “Th? ??ct??s h?v? ???n sh?kin? th?i? h???s ?n? s??in? [th? m?mmi?s] s??? ??n’t l??k 500 ????s ?l? [??t] c??l? h?v? ?i?? ? ??w w??ks ???,” R?inh??? ??c?ll?? in ? 1999 int??vi?w.
Th? ?isc?v??? ?? s?ch ? w?ll-???s??v?? m?mm? inst?ntl? c???t?? ? s???? ?? int???st th????h??t th? sci?nti?ic c?mm?nit?. R?inh??? w??l? ??t??n t? th? m??nt?in t?? ? m?nth l?t?? with ? ??ll t??m ?n? ?in? tw? m??? m?mmi?i?? chil???n, this tіm? ? ??? ?n? ? ?i?l.
R????ts ???m ? S??nish s?l?i?? wh? witn?ss?? s?c?i?ic?s ?? chil???n in ??i?s s????st th?t th? ??? ?n? ?i?l mi?ht h?v? ???n ???i?? ?s “c?m??ni?n s?c?i?ic?s” ??? M?mm? J??nit?.
All in ?ll, ?x???ts ?stim?t? th?t th??? m?? ?? h?n????s ?? Inc? chil???n m?mmi?i?? in th? m??nt?in ???ks ?? th? An??s still w?itin? t? ?? ?isc?v????