Reblogged from Smorgasbord:

Today Robbie Cheadle shares research on the ancient Inca tradition of appeasing the gods with human sacrifices.. including children. It served as an inspiration for a short story published in the Spellbound anthology.

 Inca child sacrifices and the origin of my short story Death is About Choices

Last year I came across an interesting article which featured the mummy of Juanita, the well-preserved frozen body of an Inca girl who was sacrificed to the gods between 1450 and 1480. Her body was found by Johan Reinhard, an Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographical Society during his ascent of Mount Ampato in the Andes of southern Peru.
Juanita is estimated to have been 12 – 15 years old at the time she died and, as she was found frozen, her remains and garments are extremely well preserved.

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