The Origins of the Capacocha Victims: Results of Stable Isotope Analyses of Individuals Sacrificed at Ampato, Misti, and Pichu Pichu Volcanos

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Ritual Violence and Human Sacrifice in the Ancient Andes: New Directions in the Field" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Capacocha was one of the most important rituals performed in the Inca Empire and involved the sacrifice of children and young women. The victims were selected from the provincial elite based on their beauty and health. They were gathered from across the Empire and brought to the capital, Cusco, in order to be sacrificed during important events associated with the life of the royal court, natural disasters (earthquakes, droughts, volcanoes, and epidemics), and cyclical holidays (e.g. summer and winter solstices). This paper presents the results of the analysis of stable isotopes related to the diet (carbon δ13C and nitrogen δ15N isotope ratios) and mobility (strontium 86Sr/88Sr and oxygen δ18O isotope ratios) of teeth and bones from thirteen individuals sacrificed at Ampato, Misti, and Pichu Picchu volcanos. Isotopic analysis of the tooth enamel revealed that the children had mixed origins, while examination of the bone and teeth of the victims from Misti showed that the diet of some of them had changed in the last years prior to their death. This suggests that the children may have been taken from their place of origin as hostages or acllas long before they were sacrificed.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Ritual Violence and Human Sacrifice in the Ancient Andes: New Directions in the Field   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37979.0