Mummified llamas, sacrificed to the gods by Incas, uncovered by archaeologists in Peru
The animals still had their ritual adornments, including necklaces and long, colourful tassels hanging from their ears.
Archaeologists have discovered a unique group of naturally mummified llamas in Peru.
The Incas sacrificed these llamas as offerings to the gods at Tambo Viejo, 460km south-east of Lima, seemingly during
The Art Newspaper
October 20, 2020
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celebrations after they peacefully annexed the region. The preservation of the four young llamas, who were killed more than 500 years ago, is largely due to the dry environment of the Peruvian south coast, says Lidio Valdez, an archaeologist at the University of Calgary in Canada, who made the discovery along with colleagues from the Universidad de Huamanga in Peru.
Archaeologists already knew that the Incas sacrificed llamas—often 100 at a time during ritual celebrations—but previously only their bones had been unearthed. “The finding adds important information about Inca ideology, something about which we knew from the writings of some early Spaniards, but never saw. Now we have the tangible evidence,” Valdez says.
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