An Inca Capacocha at Salinas Grandes (La Poma, Salta). The Tupu and Plate of the "Dead Boy" or... of the "Dead Girl"?

Abstract

Recent archaeological surveys of Salinas Grandes (La Poma, Salta) have located a metallic Inca ornament (a tupu) found with ceramic fragments. In this paper, we tie these findings to a mummy that was discovered in the area, but whose exact place of the discovery has remained unknown. Other researchers have associated this mummy with an Inca sacrifice. Here, we propose a precise original location for the mummy, one based on our investigations. In accordance with previous hypotheses that have drawn direct relationships between certain types of offerings and the age and gender of the children sacrificed during the capacocha rituals, we will explore the possibility of a different sacrificed body, a girl, in the same place, that has not been reported.