Incan children were given hallucinogens before they were sacrificed to the gods

Recent toxicology tests on Incan mummies have revealed that children were given not only cocaine but also alcohol and chemicals found in ayahuasca before their sacrificial ceremonies. These findings, published in the journal Antiquity, shed new light on the macabre practices of the Incan Empire, which operated from the 13th to the 16th centuries.

During the reign of this empire, children and young women were routinely sacrificed to various gods in a ceremony known as capacocha, a ritual believed to restore stability after natural disasters like famine or drought. Sacrificed children were typically taken to Cusco, the Incan capital, or other temples throughout the empire.

As they were prepared for their death, the children were administered a range of psychoactive substances, including coca leaves (the primary ingredient in cocaine), alcohol, and chemicals from ayahuasca. The researchers, led by archaeologist Dagmara Socha from the University of Warsaw, conducted toxicological analyses on hair and nail samples from eight bodies discovered near Incan sacrifice sites in Peru and Argentina.

All eight bodies contained traces of cocaine, while four also tested positive for alcohol, likely consumed to calm the children during the final stages of the ceremony. Traces of harmine and harmaline, two chemicals present in the hallucinogenic ayahuasca beverage, were detected in the hair of three bodies. These findings suggest that the capacocha ritual was not a standardized practice, but rather adapted to local religious traditions and the specific gods being honored.

Socha noted that while there may be other undetectable substances, the presence of these psychoactive drugs indicates that the Incan Empire adapted their religious practices to different cults and geographical locations.