Analysis of Inca mummies reveals complex drug use in sacrificial rituals

The study aimed to identify a wider range of psychoactive substances used during these ceremonies and to understand how practices varied across the vast Inca Empire. Researchers analyzed hair and nail samples from eight mummies found in mountains across Peru and Argentina.

The analysis confirmed the presence of cocaine in all samples, aligning with historical beliefs about its use as offerings to gods and to alleviate altitude sickness during the children’s journeys to their sacrificial locations. Evidence suggests that corn beer, or chicha, was also administered to at least four of the mummies, likely to reduce anxiety and dull senses.

A particularly intriguing discovery involved the “Lady of Ampato,” also known as Juanita, where traces of harmine, an alkaloid associated with plants used in the ayahuasca beverage, were detected. This suggests a specific ceremonial role for this plant-based concoction in rituals connected to Mount Ampato, a volcano in southern Peru.

The findings demonstrate that capacocha rituals were not uniform, but rather adapted to local traditions and regional deities. According to archaeologist Dagmara Socha, “What we are seeing is that the capacocha was not a single standardised ritual, but rather the Incas appear to have adapted it to different cults and local religious traditions.” The study was published in the journal *Antiquity*.