New Forensic Study Revises Deaths of Inca Child Mummies from El Plomo and Cerro Esmeralda

An international research team re‑examined three famous Inca child mummies—the Boy of El Plomo and two girls from Cerro Esmeralda in Chile—using high‑resolution CT scans, isotopic hair analysis, radiocarbon dating, dermatology and histology. Published in Science Advances, the study overturns long‑standing assumptions: the El Plomo boy, previously thought to have died from freezing, likely suffered a blunt‑force head injury, possibly from a ceremonial mace. Marks on the girls' necks are now considered post‑mortem, leaving their exact cause of death unknown.

The findings also reshape understanding of the Capacocha ritual. Isotopic data suggest the children undertook months‑long pilgrimages covering up to 1,700 miles across the Inca Empire before sacrifice, indicating a far more complex, prolonged ceremony than the brief summit‑death scenario commonly portrayed.