In Ampato 1995, one of the best preserved Inca frozen mummies was found, which was also the first female frozen mummy. She is an Inca girl with long black hair, slender neck, plump arms and gorgeous alpaca shawl, lying quietly on the summit of Ampato. Her young life belongs to the mountain god Navado? Five centuries ago, this Inca girl became a sacrifice in a ceremony. She slept peacefully in the mud grave, without any trace of struggle, strangulation or beating. Maybe she died before she was buried In the grave, she was accompanied by exquisite figurines, coca leaves and grains.
1September 8, 995, mountaineer and anthropologist John? Rekha and Miguel? Salat climbed the Ampato ridge. At that time, the nearby Naivado volcano was erupting, and the volcanic ash ejected from the top of the mountain was as high as 1.6 km, which successively fell on the Ampato ridge. Dark volcanic ash easily absorbs the sun's light and heat, so a lot of ice and snow melt, leading to the collapse of the ridge. John and Miguel accidentally found an Inca figurine among the rocks on the hillside. It is carved with gold, silver and rare sea chrysanthemum mussel shells. The colorful clothes wrapped outside look like new ones, and the red feathers on them are also complete. Obviously, it just appears on the ground. This figurine guides John and Miguel to move on, and finally when they reach the summit, they find a tightly wrapped cloth bag-Inca mummy! When I opened the package, it was an Inca girl's dry face, and most of her body had not thawed.
Inca girls lie under volcanic ash at the top of Ampato Mountain. The hot sun will soon melt her and then rot. Even if it doesn't end like this, she may be taken away by later grave robbers. More importantly, it is the season of the year, and I don't know when the snowstorm will flood the mountain peaks. John and Miguel made an important decision: take the girl and the buried cultural relics down the mountain. This is a mountain with an altitude of six kilometers. The girl weighs about 36 kilograms, and the difficulty of the road is far beyond their imagination. After running nonstop for three days, the weather was not good, sometimes it snowed, and sometimes the Naivado volcano began to erupt again, and dust fell like a devil's rain. Finally, exhausted, they came to the Archaeological Department of the Catholic University of Arequipa, Peru, and handed over the Inca girl to the dean.
Archaeologists found only a few frozen mummies in the Andes, and none of them were women. This girl, estimated to be in her teens, can guess that she was buried at the top of Ampato Mountain as a sacrifice in a sacrificial ceremony. Due to the collapse of the ridge in recent years, ice and rocks slipped down the hillside, taking her out of the grave. There is no doubt that this is an important discovery in the world. This Inca girl is the best preserved frozen mummy ever discovered. Scientists named this Ampato mummy Juanita. It is speculated that Juanita died about 500 years ago.
Juanita's body tissues and organs are intact and naturally dried. Her frozen body is like a biological data warehouse: the following research can reveal the cause and process of her death. Through her DNA, we can know where she comes from and which tribe she belongs to. The remains in her stomach provide information for scientists to study the food structure of ancient Incas. In feather woven bags found around Juanita, scientists found coca leaves offered 500 years ago, which are no different from coca plants now. However, using advanced biochemical analysis technology, scientists tried to determine the original birthplace of these plants.
Juanita's coat aroused the interest of textile archaeologists. Every piece of cloth has exquisite patterns and colors. Her bright red and white striped shawl is the most exquisite Inca fabric in the world. /kloc-Juanita's dresses and Spanish pando in the 4th century? Ryan's description in the book is consistent: her clothes were the most popular and gorgeous among the aristocratic women in Cusco at that time, and there is no doubt that this will be an example for describing the clothes of the Inca aristocratic women in the future. However, some coats seem too big for Juanita. Perhaps because the Incas believed that the girl would grow up like a living person after death, they prepared a slightly larger dress for her.
The preservation of Juanita, the mummy of the Inca girl, has also become a big problem. There is no standard precedent for the preservation of frozen mummies, and of course it cannot be simply put into the freezer. Theoretically, the frozen mummy's body and its external fabric should be stored in a relatively humid environment, while the head storage humidity is relatively small. It is also necessary to separate the clothes from the body, and the scientists set about taking off the girls' clothes. This is a meticulous and intense job. Be careful when peeling the cloth, don't tear the clothes and don't damage the girls' skin. In order to prevent the mummy from melting, scientists must control the time when it leaves the freezer. In the process of separating fabrics, scientists have made new discoveries. The girl's braid is tied to her belt with a black camel hair, from which it can be inferred that someone carefully dressed her before or after her death. She is a precious gift from the Incas to the holy mountain. She is the messenger who connects the people with the holy mountain and will bring good news to the people. Therefore, people are full of respect for her and dress her up carefully. Her gorgeous clothes are pinned with delicate pins, and all kinds of small woodcuts-boxes, wine containers, and small toys such as dogs and foxes are hung on them with thin lines. The Incas have quite comprehensive ideas about the future of Juanita.
What shocked scientists most was the girl's right hand, clutching the skirt tightly. Is this tension, pain or determination? Juanita's fate may not be what she wants, let alone what she can control. We don't know her mood at that time.
There are still many unsolved mysteries in Juanita. Further research needs the participation of more scientists, not only archaeologists and anthropologists, but also experts in pathology, microbiology, parasitology, biochemistry, gynecology, metallurgy, botany, ceramic archaeology, textile archaeology and other fields. It may be possible to unlock the secret of the frozen mummy Juanita. The feather headdress on her head even needs the help of ornithologists. I hope that the mystery of Juanita can be solved as soon as possible, which will open a window for us to further understand the mysterious truth of the Inca Empire.