The Inca Dressed Llamas in Tassels and Face Paint-Then Likely Buried Them Alive

The great Inca Empire is survived by its legacy in economics, science, art, religion, and—an add-on to the last two—sacrificial rituals. According to a new study, these holy proceedings also included llamas and guinea pigs.

During recent investigations at Tambo Viejo , Peruvian archaeologist Lidio Valdez and colleagues unearthed an unusual collection of naturally mummified llamas and guinea pigs. The llamas in particular had colorful ear tassels and necklaces, red face paint, and most importantly, coca leaves stuck in their wool. The Inca considered coca a divine plant, and features such as the positioning of the llamas indicate that a sacrificial ritual took place here, as the team reported in a recent paper in Ñawpa Pacha . If valid, this interpretation complicates written sources that claimed coca leaves were burned during rituals.