The children's mummies of the Incas

We march through the manageable city center to the wonderfully painted one Iglesia San Francisco and from there to the Convento de San Bernardowhich only nuns are allowed to enter. Then go straight to the bus station to buy a ticket for the Saturday journey to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. Fortunately, tickets are still available, so we could take a taxi to the other end of town. Mercado Artesanal drive. The proximity to Bolivia and the increased influence of the Indians in this region can already be clearly felt here. Most of the knitwear and leather goods to be bought have Native American patterns.

Next door we visit the authentic one Vegetable and fruit market, where hardly a tourist gets lost. As always, we are welcomed extremely friendly, interested in where we come from and why we are visiting Argentina. Certain scenes and the faces remind us strongly of the Bolivian highlands. We stock up on local fruits and vegetables before we head back to the city center. In the hostel we are looking for a hostel for the next few days in the expensive San Pedro de Atacama. Then we calculate our remaining requirement for Argentine pesos and look for an option to change. As is often the case, we find something near the square at an inconspicuous souvenir shop.

The direct route takes you to the Plaza 9 de Julio, where the well-known is also located MAAM Museum Arqueología de Alta Montaña has its location. The showpiece and core of the exhibition on the lost Inca culture are undoubtedly the three grandiose preserved children's mummies, which took place in 1999 in the icy heights of the Vulcano Llullaillaco were found. This part of the exhibition is well signposted in English and also shows some of the finds that the victims gave on their way to the afterlife.

The probably off influential Inca families Native children aged 6, 7, and 15 were likely to be used during a Inca ritual sacrificed in honor of the gods. Due to the icy temperatures, the bodies were naturally mummified and have survived in exceptionally good condition for over 500 years. Yes it possibly the best preserved mummies in the world. For reasons of conservation, only one corpse is exhibited, which is understandably not allowed to be photographed. Currently this is «The Lightning Girl»Can be admired while« The Boy »and« The Maiden »are in safe custody. (More about the children's mummies of the Llullaillaco: http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/menschenopfer-bei-den-inka.676.de.html?dram:article_id=255847)

Next to it is the fourth mummy named "The Queen of the Hill“Almost under. This corpse was discovered in the high Andes of the region as early as 1920, but fell into the wrong hands and therefore did not enjoy the necessary conservation measures. What the mummy also clearly suffered from.

We walk a bit through the city center and into some of the open shops. At Plaza 9 de Julio we have an aperitif before we go out to eat.