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Five centuries ago, an Inca teenage girl was sacrificed and laid to rest near the summit of Ampato, a dormant volcano in the Andes Mountains. In 1995, her remarkably preserved frozen remains were discovered, giving rise to different names such as the “Ice Maiden,” Juanita, and the Lady of Ampato. However, little was known about her true identity. Now, a team of researchers from the Center for Andean Studies at the University of Warsaw and the Catholic University of Santa María, in collaboration with Swedish artist Oscar Nilsson, has created a 3D reconstruction of Juanita’s face. The awe-inspiring reconstruction was unveiled on October 24 as part of the “Capacocha, following the Inca Divinities” exhibition at the Andean Sanctuaries Museum in Peru. This exhibition showcases the latest research on Juanita and her life, as well as findings from other Incan mummies discovered in the Peruvian Andes.
Dr. Dagmara Socha, a bioarchaeologist at the Center for Andean Studies and curator of the exhibit, highlights the importance of scientific research and facial reconstruction in restoring the identities of mummies. By bringing their stories to life, well-crafted reconstructions allow us to honor the people behind these historical figures.
The Inca Empire, which spanned from 1200 to 1533, stretched across present-day Peru and Chile, encompassing 2,500 miles of land. The Incas considered capacocha, a ritual involving human sacrifices with offerings of valuable goods like ceramics, precious metals, textiles, and seashells, to be of great significance. These rituals were performed to appease deities and protect the community from natural disasters such as droughts, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. Sacred places like the peaks of the Andes held immense importance to the Incas, and children and young women, who were considered beautiful and pure, were chosen for sacrificial rites. The sacrifices were believed to bring honor to their parents and grant them a blissful afterlife. The children and young women acted as “mediators” between humans and deities, with ancestors watching over them from the towering peaks of the Andes.
In September 1995, Dr. Johan Reinhard and assistant Miguel Zarate discovered Juanita when they ascended Ampato. At an elevation of 20,708 feet, they stumbled upon an Inca burial site that had been exposed due to a collapsed ridge, sending its contents tumbling 229 feet below. Amongst the fallen items, Reinhard and Zarate spotted a bundle of cloth, which revealed Juanita’s well-preserved face upon lifting it. With utmost care, they brought Juanita down the mountain, where she is currently housed in a chamber at the Andean Sanctuaries Museum of the Catholic University of Santa María, maintained at a chilling temperature of minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 20 degrees Celsius). Museum visitors can marvel at her on display.
Studies have unveiled that Juanita was a healthy girl aged between 13 and 15, who met her demise from a blow to the head. She was buried with ceremonial clothing, alongside ceramic objects, gold and silver female figures, a Spondylus shell, food, woven bags, and pottery. The ceramic objects bear intricate geometric figures, which are still being studied and may have served as a means of communication within the Inca culture. In 2018, Dr. Socha and her team commenced a five-year research project, exploring Juanita and other remnants and artifacts discovered on the snow-covered Ampato, Misti, and Pichu Pichu volcanoes. Through their work, they discovered that some of the sacrificial individuals chewed coca leaves and consumed ayahuasca in the weeks leading up to their deaths. This suggests that hallucinogenic plants and psychotropic stimulants were used to alleviate anxiety before the sacrifices.
In March 2022, CT scans were conducted on Juanita, providing a basis for a 3D model of her skull that Oscar Nilsson utilized for the reconstruction. By combining tomography scans, research on her age and complexion, and other characteristics, digital images were generated. Nilsson then used tissue depth markers based on skull measurements to envision the proportions of Juanita’s face, including her high cheekbones. The process of bringing Juanita’s face to life took six months, with Nilsson devoting 400 hours to the model. Known for his expertise in reconstructing faces from the past, Nilsson employed a forensic reconstruction technique that incorporated various scientific analyses to achieve a realistic appearance. Reflecting on his work, Nilsson expresses both his sense of responsibility and passion for reconstructing accurate representations of historical figures. He hopes that the viewers can form an emotional connection to Juanita and her remarkable story, forging a bond with history.
Reproductions of the headdress and shawl worn by Juanita were crafted using naturally dyed alpaca wool by Centro Textiles Tradicionales in Chinchero and Cusco, Peru. Visitors to the exhibition can explore the research findings, view artifacts from the burials, and hold replicas of them. They can even embark on a virtual pilgrimage, retracing Juanita’s journey from the Inca Empire’s capital, Cusco, across the ranches where the caravan rested before the sacrifice, and up to the mountain peaks. Through the use of virtual reality goggles, visitors can experience the footsteps of capacocha, following the remains of Inca roads to the tambos, which were the final stops on the slopes of Chachani, Misti, and Pichu Pichu.
For the researchers who have dedicated years to studying Juanita, the laborious process of bringing her back to life has been immensely rewarding. Dr. Socha expresses the emotional impact of finally gazing upon Juanita’s face after years of working with these mummies. The hyperrealistic impression created by the reconstruction allows us to connect with Juanita as though she were a living person.
