Children chosen for sacrifice in the Inca Empire may not all have died in the same way, according to a new study that used modern forensic techniques to reexamine three naturally preserved victim mummies from the Andes.
The research, published in Science Advances, challenges long-held beliefs about the deaths of the victims. It also sheds new light on their final journeys and diets before they were sacrificed during the Inca ritual known as Capacocha.
Capacocha was one of the empire’s most important religious ceremonies. Children and young people were selected to honor the gods and sacred mountain spirits.
In Inca society, the selection was considered a privilege that brought honor to both the victims and their families. The chosen individuals traveled long distances across the empire before being taken to remote mountain shrines, where the ceremonies took place.
Researchers reexamined the remains of three individuals recovered from two sites in Chile. They included a 9-year-old girl identified as CES-A, an 18-year-old woman known as CES-B, and an 8-year-old boy called Niño de El Plomo, or NEP.
New forensic tools revisit old discoveries
The mummies were excavated decades ago, before advanced forensic methods became available. Poor documentation and later handling of the remains also made it difficult for archaeologists to reconstruct the victims’ final days.
Earlier studies suggested that the El Plomo boy died after falling asleep and freezing to death at high altitude. The two female victims were believed to have been strangled.
New research is rewriting the final moments of three Inca sacrifice victims. CT scans and hair analysis suggest the victims died in different ways, while revealing clues about their final journeys and ritual diets before the Capacocha ceremony. pic.twitter.com/V1d8Ekz3a7
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) July 24, 2026
To test those conclusions, researchers used high-resolution CT scans and chemical analysis of hair samples. The results painted a different picture.
Evidence points to different causes of death
CT scans found no evidence that either female victim had been strangled. The delicate bones of the throat showed no fractures or other injuries. Marks on their necks were more consistent with pressure from clothing or wrapped textiles than with violent force. The boy’s remains told a different story.
Researchers found a 30-millimeter fracture on the left side of his skull. They then used a computer simulation technique commonly applied in modern crash testing to examine the injury. The analysis showed that the fracture matched the impact expected from a star-shaped Inca stone mace.
The findings suggest that the victims were not all killed using the same method. Instead, different forms of ritual sacrifice may have been practiced at Capacocha sites across the Inca Empire.
Hair reveals their final journey and diet
Chemical analysis of the victims’ hair also revealed details about their lives before the ceremonies. The boy’s hair showed major changes in oxygen and hydrogen levels. Researchers said the pattern indicates he moved through different environments during a long pilgrimage before reaching the mountain shrine.
The two female victims showed a different chemical signature. Carbon levels increased near the ends of their hair, suggesting they consumed larger amounts of maize during the final weeks or months of their lives. Researchers believe the dietary change may reflect ritual feasting before the sacrifice.
Together, the findings provide one of the clearest pictures yet of how ancient Inca sacrifice victims spent their final months and suggest that the empire used multiple methods to carry out one of its most sacred religious rituals.
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