Plomo Mummy

The Plomo Mummy (also known as the Boy of El Plomo, El Plomo Mummy, or La Momia del Cerro El Plomo) is the exceptionally well-preserved frozen mummy of an Inca boy who died during a qhapaq hucha sacrifice on Cerro El Plomo near Santiago, Chile, in the late 15th century. Discovered on 1 February 1954, he became one of the earliest major discoveries of a high-altitude Inca sacrificial mummy. His body, clothing, grave goods, internal organs, braided hair and painted facial markings were preserved by the cold, dry conditions of the high Andes. The mummy is cared for by the National Museum of Natural History in Santiago, where a replica has been displayed since 1982 while the original remains in climate-controlled storage. Discovery On February 1, 1954, the mummified body of a pre-Columbian child was discovered by a group of climbers at the peak of the El Plomo mountain (at an altitude of 17,716 feet) located in the Andes mountain range near Santiago, Chile. Guillermo Chacón Carrasco, Luis Gerardo Ríos Barrueto, and Jaime Ríos Abarca departed the village of Puente Alto, near Santiago, late January. They were muleteers who went on a short expedition in hopes of finding artifacts and ritual offerings that they could later sell. Once they reached the peak of the El Plomo mountain, they came across a ceremonial complex which consisted of four stone structures. Under one of these structures they found the tomb of the mummy and grave goods surrounding it. thumb The Adoratorio near the site where the mummy was found. (Altitude 5,200 m) leftThe mummy was located in a 1 meter deep pit, covered with a capstone in one of several small stone structures. The mummy was discovered fully clothed in a sitting position with his arms wrapped around his knees.

They decided to take the grave goods, but relocated the frozen body to another cave, and left to go back to Puente Alto with the goods they collected throughout their expedition. A few weeks later, they traveled to Santiago in an attempt to sell the artifacts to the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural (Chilean National Museum of Natural History).

On February 16, 1954, one of the men that found the mummy informed Dr. Grete Mostny of the discovery, who was at that time the Head of Anthropology at the Chilean National Museum of Natural History. Mostny and the men that discovered the mummy came to a monetary agreement, and the mummy was handed over to the museum. The quality of these items is consistent with that found in other capacocha burials. a practice called qhapaq hucha.

The precise cause of death is uncertain, but is likely due to suffocation after being buried alive. Vomit stains were found around the boy's lips and on his clothing. A possible explanation for this is that he was being given maize beer and coca to induce numbing effects for the sacrifice.

Scientific examinations When the mummy was originally discovered in 1954, limited examinations were made to the body due to the time period. Roentgenograms (X-ray images) were performed in order to examine the mummy's skeleton, and a coprolite analysis was made. It was decided that the skin would be left intact and a biopsy of the organs would not be made, in order to protect the inner layers against microorganisms that might damage the well-preserved mummy.

The Boy of El Plomo was an Inca boy who lived during the final centuries of the Inca Empire. Studies of his teeth, bones, and X-rays indicate that he was about eight years old when he died.

Exhibition The mummy was displayed at the Chilean National Museum of Natural History until 1982, when curators determined that a replica should replace the original to improve its long-term preservation. The Boy of El Plomo remains in the museum's care and is stored in a chamber with controlled temperature and humidity, while a replica is displayed to the public.