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

• Mummy Juanita

References

Bibliography