Today, our first full day in Salta (map), we had a private tour of the Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montaña (MAAM - Museum of High Mountain Archaeology), arranged by the government of Salta, complete with an archaeologist to answer questions. It was riveting!
The centerpiece exhibit is the frozen remains of three Incan niños who were found perfectly preserved at the 6,739 meter summit (over 22,000 feet!) of volcanic Mount Llullaillaco, the objects of religious sacrifice more than 500 years ago, during the period of Incan ascendency through most of the Andean region. The extensive exhibit, which includes more than 150 sacred objects buried with the niños, is quite stunning, vividly reflecting a radically different view from today of nature and our place within it.
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It is worth noting up front the effects of Mt. Llullaillaco's altitude. This is the second highest active volcano in the world and the seventh highest mountain peak in the Western Hemisphere. Our experienced archaeologist mentioned that she had been forced to abandon her first trek up the mountain because of altitude sickness combined with the massive physical exertion required.
It is one thing for a modern expedition with oxygen tanks and sophisticated gear to trek up this mountain to remove these niños, but think for a moment of the knowledge and skill that our native American ancestors exhibited by not only taking the niños and their large collection of sacrificial objects to the summit, but then building sacrificial rooms from stone to serve as a shrine or alter!
These niños were in nearly perfect condition from the dry yet frigid conditions on the mountaintop, a confluence of both low temperature and low humidity that is unique in the world in this high Andean plateau. The oldest was a 15 year old girl, and there was a 6 year old girl and a boy about 7 years old. The younger niña was struck by lightning at one point over the years, and her remains are blackened from the encounter with the god of lightning (el dios del rayo).
These niños were not overtly traumatized in any way prior to death, which came from a combination of drinking a powerful native alcoholic beverage and exposure to the frigid temperatures. But the experience itself was obviously traumatic. The boy was reportedly found with vomit and feces on his clothes. They were carefully selected from the families of the ruling elite, not from the poorer levels of society. In times of great social peril - war, draught, famine, etc. - drastic measures were required to propitiate the gods, and only the most precious offering was acceptable. (Or so goes the traditional thinking among scholars of this subject. There are other interpreters challenging this view.)
In Incan culture, mountains were considered to be gods or "apus." It is estimated that there are at least 200 similar sites, known as "high altitude sanctuaries or shrines" according to MAAM, in this region of the Andes, with perhaps hundreds yet undiscovered or explored. But few of the human remains will likely be in the near perfect condition of these three niños, who are displayed in special low temperature glass chambers that mimic the atmosphere and humidity at the mountaintop.
After our tour, we filmed an interview with Miguel Xamena, the very insightful and articulate director of the museum and talked about everything from the effects of tourism on local culture to the need for a re-examination of the ancient Andean civilizations.
Miguel gave me one of the museum's beautiful full color coffee table catalogs. But what was shown and explained this day, along with behind the scenes details, was stunningly thought provoking. My wheels are still spinning
Miguel believed strongly that in spite of many practices we would now see as barbaric, we had much to learn from the ancient Andean civilizations. In an interesting aside, he noted that the sacrificial niña being struck by lightning would have been seen as a sign of favor from the gods regarding the offering of the child. The God of lightning was one of the most powerful deities, and his reaching out to touch the niña was a sure sign of acceptance. Good things would follow for her people.
More on this subject later, whose real complexity and controversial nature may well be masked by the accepted mainstream explanations.
