Inca ritual sacrifices involved cocaine and alcohol, study finds

Toxicological analysis of 500-year-old mummified remains found in the Andes mountains has revealed that children and young women were likely administered psychoactive substances before being sacrificed in Inca religious ceremonies.

Researchers conducted tests on the hair and nails of eight individuals discovered at mountain shrines in Peru and Argentina. The study, published in the journal Antiquity, indicates that the victims may have consumed cocaine, alcohol, and other psychoactive drugs. These substances were likely used during the capacocha ceremony, a sacred ritual where children served as intermediaries between the living and the divine.

Lead author Dr. Dagmara Socha from the University of Warsaw noted that while the use of psychoactive plants is documented, these findings provide new evidence regarding the specific substances used. The substances may have been intended to enhance prophetic abilities, alter states of consciousness, or help the victims endure the exhausting journeys to high-altitude shrines, some exceeding 6,000 meters.