Warsaw University Researchers Find Psychoactive Traces in Inca Child Mummies

An international research team, including Dr. Dagmara Socha from the Center for Andean Studies at the University of Warsaw, analyzed mummified remains of eight children sacrificed in Inca rituals, according to o2 o2.plo2o2.plOpen source ↗. The remains of seven girls and one boy, aged six to 14 years at death, were discovered at archaeological sites in Peru, Argentina, and Chile. The team published the results of the toxicological tests in the journal Antiquity.

All six analyzed hair samples contained cocaine and benzoylecgonine, indicating sustained ingestion of coca leaves. In four samples taken from three girls and one boy, the researchers detected cocaethylene, a metabolite formed in the body only when cocaine and alcohol are consumed concurrently. The researchers noted that alcohol was likely administered as chicha, a fermented maize beverage that could calm the children and alter their state of awareness during the capacocha ritual.

Chronological Profiling of Hair

A detailed segmental analysis of hair from a girl found on the Chuscha volcano was conducted by dividing strands into six fragments representing the final six months of her life. During this six-month interval, cocaine concentrations decreased steadily, whereas cocaethylene was detected exclusively in the segment corresponding to the last month.

Nail Biomarkers and Harmine

In a nail sample from the girl found on Peru's Ampato volcano, known as the Lady of Ampato or Juanita, researchers identified trace amounts of harmine, a compound that affects the central nervous system, while DMT was absent o2.plo2o2.plOpen source ↗. The authors suggest that coca, alcohol, and other compounds mitigated physical strain, cold, and altitude during ascent, while also fulfilling ritual purposes.