Aconcagua mummy

The Aconcagua mummy is an Incan qhapaq hucha mummy of a seven-year-old boy, dated to around 500 BP.[1] The mummy is well-preserved, due to the extreme cold and dry conditions of its high altitude burial location.[2] The frozen mummy was discovered by hikers in 1985 at 5,300 m (17,400 ft) on Aconcagua in Mendoza, Argentina.[1][2]

Discovery

The Aconcagua mummy was buried inside a semicircular stone structure[3] and found covered in vomit, red pigment, and fecal remains.[4] The body was wrapped in textiles in a style derived from central coastal Peru.[5] Six statuettes were also found buried with the body.[1]

An analysis shows that the boy's diet consisted primarily of maize, quinoa, capsicum, potatoes, and terrestrial meat. A year and a half before his death, his diet became more marine-based.[4] The presence of achiote was also found inside his stomach and colon.[5]

mtDNA evidence

DNA was extracted from a 350 mg (5.4 gr) sample from one of his lungs.[1] His mtDNA lineage belongs to a subgroup of Haplogroup C1b, the previously unidentified C1bi (i for Inca).[1] His mtDNA lineage contains 10 distinct mutations from C1b.[1] The researchers determined that Haplogroup C1bi likely arose around 14,300 years ago.[1] An individual from the Wari Empire was found to be a match for this previously unidentified haplogroup.[1][2]

See also

References

Bibliography

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