Ruddy Perea

• Universidad La Salle Arequipa, Perú

Hallucinogenic plants and psychotropic stimulants performed an important role in the beliefs, rituals and divination practices in the ancient Andes. The aim of this article is to present the results of toxicological studies of two individuals immolated over 500 years ago during a capacocha ritual on the mountain of Ampato mountain in southern Peru....

One of the most important rituals in the Inca Empire was the capacocha. It required the most prestigious sacrificial offering of male and female children and young women who were characterized by their beauty and purity. The aim of this paper is to present the results of a bio-anthropological analysis of the remains of five individuals sacrificed o...

One of the most impressive examples of an Inca capacocha ceremony was discovered during an archaeological expedition to the summit of Misti volcano in 1998. The offerings at the site included several human sacrifices, along with fine ceramics and figurines made from gold, silver, and Spondylus sp. shell. One of the two burials appeared to contain t...

One of the most momentous of Inca state ceremonies was known as the capacocha. Through the sacrifice of both precious objects and select children, the capacocha served to link the capital of Cuzco to its far-flung hinterlands and the empire itself to the deities that sanctioned it. While ethnohistoric sources offer some insight into the capacocha r...