Juanita (mummy)

Juanita was the name given to the mummy of an Inca girl who was found in September 1995 by participants in an expedition led by the American archaeologist Johan Reinhard near the Ampato summit ( Peru ) at an altitude of over 5000 m. In addition to the name given to her, she is also called the Virgin from the Ice ( Spanish : La Niña del Hielo ). Juanita was a human sacrifice by the Incas to Mount Ampato, who, in the belief of the Incas, ruled over the water supply and the harvest.

History of research and discovery

Finding circumstances

The discovery of Juanita in 1995 was one of the most important archaeological finds in the Americas in recent decades. At that time she was the first female mummy from the pre-Columbian era, which was also almost completely frozen and hardly dried out. Juanita was discovered by the expedition participants under the direction of Johan Reinhard. During their expedition on the Ampato, Reinhard and his companion Miguel Zárate discovered a bundle inside the summit crater that was released by an ice ridge that had only recently been melted by the ejected ash from the neighboring volcano Sabancaya . At first it was only the Inca hair ornament that the two of them could recognize from this bundle, they tried to get the mummy back into the conservation area of ​​the ice as quickly as possible. The 40 kg bundle was brought to the Catholic University of Santa María (a supporter of this expedition) in Arequipa within two days . Despite all the efforts, the traces left by the sun's rays before the discovery can still be seen: one half of Juanita's face is much darker than the other.

Physical findings

The girl was around 14 years old and 1.40 m tall at the time of his death. It was slim and healthy, its teeth were complete and the bones of normal density.

Circumstances of death

Juanita died around 1440 to 1450, her death occurred from a fracture of the skull above the right eye with subsequent bleeding. The 5 cm long break was caused by a blow to her right temple. It is believed that she was also given drugs prior to her violent sacrificial death. Examination of the contents of the stomach revealed that she had fasted the day before her death.

Even today there is great recognition for the mountain climbs of the Incas, who with their thin equipment and without technical aids reached heights of more than 6000 meters. So Juanita, on whose feet sandals were found, must have known from the beginning that she was climbing this mountain to make her sacrifice to the Ampato. At the time of the Incas, this sacrifice was considered one of the highest honors that an individual could receive. It was carried out by the accompanying priests.

Investigations

Shortly after she was found, Juanita was taken to the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore , Maryland , where she was subjected to computed tomography and X-ray examinations to determine and examine , among other things, the fracture of the skull and the contents of the stomach. At the Institute for Genetic Research in Maryland ( Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) ) were taken from her DNA samples. By studying their DNA, it was shown that the people who reached America via the Bering Strait came from Taiwan and Korea .

Exhibition history

After the scientific research, the mummy was sent on a tour of the United States (1996) and Japan (1999) as an exhibit. National Geographic devoted a detailed report in June 1996 to the expedition that led to its discovery.

United States 1996

During her stay in the United States, she also met with the President of the United States of the time, Bill Clinton . The President shall at the sight of the Mummy (by some sources at a dinner in Stamford , Connecticut by others in the Museum of National Geographic have said) If I were a single man, I might ask did mummy out. That's a good-looking mummy! ( If I were single , I'd take this mummy out to dinner. That's a really pretty mummy! ). Peruvian scientists are said to have commented on this statement as tasteless .

Japan 1999

The journey through Japan lasted 15 months. During this time Juanita has changed location thirteen times - circumstances that could have threatened the condition of the mummy.

Current situation

After her two trips abroad, Juanita was brought back to the Museo Santuarios Andinos in Arequipa , where she is kept in a specially made freezer cabinet at −19 ° C and can be viewed by the museum's visitors. There were still disputes about her whereabouts: The mayor of Cabanaconde , the place closest to where she was found on the Ampato, demanded the body to be exhibited in his city. It was mainly about the proceeds from the entrance fees, in which his town was not involved. However, Cabanconde is not suitable for long-term exhibition of the mummy, as it does not have the technical requirements for long-term storage or for necessary checks and tests.

Further victim finds

In addition to Juanita, other mummies of human sacrifices from the Inca period are exhibited in the Museo Santuarios Andinos . These are also children who were called Urpicha ( Quechua for little pigeon ), which was found on the Picchu Picchu volcano , Sarita (named after the place where they were found, the Sarasara volcano) and five other mummies that were found on El Misti volcano were found near Arequipa .

Web links

• Universidad Católica de Santa Maria: Museo Santuarios Andinos
• mummy-juanita-sacrifice-inca-ice-maiden