500-Year-Old Inca Mummies Show Traces of Alcohol and Other Drugs Used Before Child Sacrifices

An analysis of hair and nail samples from ancient Inca children offers insight into the final month of their lives before their sacrificial deaths. Researchers from the University of Warsaw studied mummies from Peru and Argentina, uncovering traces of substances used during the capacocha ritual, a sacred ceremony often resulting in child sacrifice.

The study, published in Antiquity, found that a 8-year-old Inca girl, Juanita, experienced a noticeable shift in her hair composition in her last month, with a decrease in cocaine levels and the emergence of alcohol traces. This likely marks the ritual's concluding stage. Juanita was not the only child showing signs of ritual preparation; seven of the eight mummies tested were female, and four contained alcohol residues, possibly from a maize-based beer called chicha.

The presence of harmine, a compound from the hallucinogenic drink ayahuasca, was discovered in a nail sample of Juanita, suggesting it was likely used in the final stages of the ceremony. The research highlights how the Inca tailored the ritual to local deities, based on geographic variations in the mummies. This discovery sheds light on the emotional wellbeing and positive mood of the children during their final journeys, which was considered an important aspect of the ceremony.