Adults and Children Sacrificed to Serve in the Afterlife

By M.P. Pellicer  | Stranger Than Fiction Stories
In 2021, a mummified man was found in Peru, then a year later the remains of 20 sacrificed victims were discovered around him. 

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20 victims, 8 of them children were possibly sacrificed to be servants in the afterlife for a nobleman

Cajamarquilla is an ancient city on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. The site is considered a pre-Hispanic mud city, which could have housed between 10,000 and 20,000 people in an area of 413 acres. It is here that the mummy of a man, bound in a fetal position was found  inside a tomb. His age is estimated to be either in his 20s or 30s. He was dubbed "Chabelo".

The victims surrounding Chabelo are 12 adults, and 8 children wrapped in funerary bundles. The children, some of them infants showed signs of violence such as fractures. Chances are they were killed in order to accompany the man, who was a noble or a man of importance into the afterlife. The adults were possibly his servants in life.

The man was estimated to have lived around 1,000 years ago, when Cajamarquilla, situated in the Jicamarca Valley had four pyramids and was an important trading point between the coast and mountain populations in Peru. At this time the city was occupied by the Wari (Huari) people, who predated the Incas.

Below Chabelo's tomb, another burial chamber containing a woman and an infant were found. They were surrounded by ceramic objects. There was also food and the remains of a dog and an Andean guinea pigs.

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Cajamarquilla site

In May 2023, another mummy was found at Cajamarquilla. The sacrifical victim was a 12 or 13 years old, but the sex has not been determined. The child lived more than 1,000 years ago.

Like the other mummies it was wrapped in a funerary bundle, and still had pieces of skin and tufts of hair. It was found approximately 200 yards from where the first mummy of Cajamarquilla was found in 2021.

Next to the mummy was the remains of a dog and an Andean guinea pig, as well as various artefacts, including a stone weapon called a boleadora, a mate plate, a copper needle, remains of textiles, corn, and chilli peppers.

There are plans to continue the excavation and send the remains for DNA testing.

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The facial reconstruction of Juanita the Peruvian mummy c.2023

In October, 2023, a mummy discovered in 1995 at the top of Ampato volcano (19,685) feet was given a face. 

Nicknamed Juanita, examination of the remains have determined that she was sacrificed between 1440 to 1450 A.D. and she was between 13 to 15 years of age. She was about 4'5" tall and weighed 77 pounds. She was well-nourished. The cause of death seems to be a severe blow to the right occipital lobe as shown in a CT scan.

A facial reconstruction was made with a model of her skull. 

She is one several children that have been found sacrificed and left in the mountain peaks in Peru.

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Juanita was sacrificed about 1450 AD and left atop the Ampato volcano in Peru