Analysis of Inca mummies identifies the drugs used in their most important sacrificial ritual

A recent study has analyzed the mummified remains of individuals sacrificed in the Inca Empire, shedding light on the psychoactive substances they consumed during the capacocha ritual. This ancient practice, involving the sacrifice of children and young women, was believed to venerate deities and act as intermediaries between living people and the divine.

The researchers, led by Dr. Dagmara Socha from the University of Warsaw, focused on identifying a wider range of psychoactive substances beyond coca leaves, which have been previously documented.

Toxicological analysis of hair and nail samples from eight mummies, recovered from mountain shrines in Peru and Argentina, revealed that cocaine was present in all cases. Coca leaves held significant importance in Inca religious beliefs, serving as offerings to the gods and potentially mitigating the effects of altitude sickness and fatigue during the children's arduous journeys.

In four of the mummies, evidence of alcohol consumption was found, potentially stemming from corn beer called chicha, which may have been administered to the children to calm and dull their senses during the final stages of the ritual.

A particularly intriguing discovery was the detection of harmine, an alkaloid associated with the Banisteriopsis species of plants, in the Lady of Ampato, also known as Juanita. This finding suggests that a harmine-containing beverage may have played a specific role in ceremonies connected to this sacred mountain. The study concludes that the capacocha ritual was not a standardized practice but rather adapted to local religious traditions and the deities or sacred places involved, varying across the Inca Empire.

These insights, made possible by modern toxicological techniques, provide a deeper understanding of the diverse and culturally rich capacocha ritual practiced by the Incas.