Analysis of hair from the mummies, shows that months before making the sacrificial ritual, the ancient Inca began to "fatten" the children chosen to be sacrificed, archaeologists of the University of Bradford (UK), believe.
Chemical analysis of four mummies, Found at high altitudes, in the Andes showed that before Inca sacrificed them, the children are taken on a long trip.
In the case of 15-year-old "virgin of Lyulyaylyako" It lasted 12 months. Frozen mummies, some of which are exceptionally well preserved, were found at the highest point, at which archaeological excavations are carried out, in the world.
Their analysis gives an idea to the experts, on how victims were prepared for rituals - how their normal existence was interrupted, how it changed their social status, and how they took the long journey to death.
The team, led by Andrew Wilson, analyzed samples of hair with length about 25 cm, taken from the mummies of children aged between 5 and 16 years. That length is the result of a 2-year growth of the Hair.
Because of this, scientists have been painting a picture of a long life, for the doomed children. Chemical analysis showed that children initially ate mostly fruit, which issued a lower social status.
A year before the sacrifice, however, feeding suddenly changed. As selected to be sacrificed to the gods, their social status had been higher and they had begun to consume food reserved for the elite, such as corn and meat.
The analysis also shows that in the last three or four months of life, after a ritual haircut, children embark on a long journey to the mountains, Probably from the Inca capital Cusco.
The culmination of a long ritual was discharged in a temple in the mountains where they had been sacrificed, archaeologists explained.
Many such churches have been found in the infamous lost city of the Incas, Machu Picchu.
