The Children of Llullaillaco
The first archaeological discovery (or rather discoveries) that I want to present are Children of Llullaillaco , also known as Mummies of Llullaillaco . As both names suggest, these are mummies of children which were discovered by a team of archaeologists led by Johan Reinhard on 16 March 1999 atop the Llullaillaco volcano (the highest active volcano on Earth that is located on the Argentina–Chile border). This is all the more important as the mummies are believed to be the best preserved Inca corpses ever found. Three mummies which were dug out on the volcano's slope turned out to be the embalmed bodies of three Inca children ( two girls and one boy ) who died approximately 500 years earlier . The oldest one – 15-year-old girl – is called la Doncella which means ‘virgin’ in Spanish. The other one is nine years younger and she was proved to be the half-sister of la Doncella . She was dubbed l a Niña del rayo (‘lightning girl’) because her tomb was struck by lightning which bur