2026 оны судалгаагаар 15 орчим настай охиныг 1462-1507 оны хооронд Андын нурууны өндөрлөгт тахил болгон өргөснийг шинжлэх ухааны үндэслэлтэйгээр нарийвчлан тогтоосон байна.
Археологичид 1999 онд Аргентин болон Чилийн хил дээр орших Ллуллайлако галт уулын оргилоос Инка эзэнт гүрний үеийн гурван хүүхдийн шарилыг олж илрүүлсэн юм. Хэт хүйтэн, хуурай уур амьсгалын нөлөөгөөр 500 орчим жилийн турш гайхалтай сайн хадгалагдсан охины шарил нь нойрсож буй мэт байдалтай олдсон нь дэлхий дахины анхаарлыг татсан билээ. Судлаачид түүнийг 7 настай хүү, 6 настай “Аянга охин” гэгдэх өөр нэгэн хүүхдийн хамтаар “капакоча” хэмээх төрийн хэмжээний тахилын ёслолын хүрээнд өргөсөн гэж үздэг.
Энэхүү тахилын ёслол нь улс төрийн үйл явдал, байгалийн гамшиг болон бурхан тахилтай харилцах харилцааг бэхжүүлэх зорилготой байсан бөгөөд Инка эзэнт гүрний хэмжээнд өргөн тархсан хатуу ширүүн зан үйл байжээ. Охины үснээс авсан шинжилгээгээр тэрээр нас барахаасаа нэг жилийн өмнөөс элит ангиллын хоол болох эрдэнэ шиш болон амьтны гаралтай уураг түлхүү хэрэглэж эхэлснийг тогтоосон байна. Түүний амнаас кока навчны үлдэгдэл олдсон нь нас барахын өмнөх долоо хоногт кока болон согтууруулах ундаа их хэмжээгээр хэрэглүүлж, тайвшруулах үйлчилгээ үзүүлж байсныг гэрчилдэг.
Хэдийгээр охиныг хэрхэн нас барсан нь тодорхойгүй ч түүний биед ямар нэгэн гэмтэл илрээгүй нь түүнийг ухаан алдаж, өндөр уулын эрс тэс хүйтэнд хөлдөж нас барсан байж болзошгүй гэсэн таамаглалыг баталж байна. Судлаачид түүний хажууд булшлагдсан кока навч, эрдэнэ шиш зэрэг ургамлын үлдэгдэлд нүүрстөрөгчийн он цаг тогтоох шинжилгээ хийснээр тахилын ёслол 1479-1502 оны хооронд болсон байх өндөр магадлалтайг тогтоожээ. Энэхүү олдвор нь Инка эзэнт гүрэн өөрийн эрх мэдлээ бэхжүүлэх, шашны болон байгаль орчны асуудлаар хэрхэн залуу хүмүүсийг золиосолдог байсныг харуулсан түүхэн баримт юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Some 500 years ago, a girl of about 15 was taken nearly to the summit of Llullaillaco, one of the highest volcanoes on Earth, and sacrificed by the Inca. A 2026 study has now narrowed down when it happened, and it was between 1462 and 1507.
Known as the Llullaillaco Maiden, or La Doncella, she lies on the border between Argentina and Chile, on what is now the frontier of the two countries. The freezing, dry conditions preserved her so remarkably that when archaeologists uncovered her in 1999, she looked almost asleep.
Her story matters for more than its eerie preservation. It offers a rare window into how an empire used ritual, and into the suffering that belief and power could demand of the very young.
Three Children, One Ritual
The Maiden was not alone. Archaeologists found two younger children nearby: a boy of about seven and a girl of about six, now called the Lightning Girl. Each lay in a separate burial chamber, with elaborate clothing and offerings.
All three were part of capacocha, a state-sponsored ceremony. Children and young people were selected from communities across the Inca Empire. As explained by NBC News, such sacrifices were tied to rulers, political events and natural disasters, as well as efforts to maintain relationships between communities, sacred places and the gods.
It was an elaborate and ruthless practice. And Llullaillaco was no isolated case: children and teenagers have been found sacrificed on high summits across the empire, some buried with finely made textiles, figurines and food. The sites were often remote, demanding long journeys to altitudes where cold, thin air and exhaustion alone were dangerous.
Her Final Year
Scientists examining the Maiden’s hair found a dramatic dietary change starting about a year before she died. She began eating substantially more animal protein and maize, foods associated with elite status.
Later research uncovered something grimmer about her last months. Her coca use rose, and in her final weeks she consumed unusually large quantities of both coca and alcohol. Researchers suggested these substances may have left her increasingly sedated as the ceremony drew near. Fragments of coca leaves were still in her mouth when she was found.
How she actually died remains unclear. Unlike some other Inca sacrificial victims, she showed no obvious lethal trauma. The evidence is consistent with her losing consciousness and dying in the extreme cold after being placed in the burial chamber.
Pinning Down the Date
The newest clues did not come from the Maiden herself. Researchers dated coca leaves, maize and manioc buried with her, short-lived plants likely harvested not long before the ceremony.
According to that analysis, the sacrifice took place between 1462 and 1507 CE, with the most likely window falling between 1479 and 1502. The timing carries weight because the Inca appear to have controlled this part of the southern Andes for decades by then. The sacrifice, therefore, wasn’t simply a ritual marking the region’s conquest.
The researchers suggest it may instead have reinforced imperial authority, commemorated an important event, or responded to religious and environmental concerns. They do not, however, have a specific ruler or motive to point to.
As ZME Science put it in its coverage, these were deeply religious and political acts, and the inca Maiden’s remarkable preservation makes that violence unusually hard to look away from.
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