Plant remains link Inca child sacrifices on Llullaillaco volcano to reign of last emperors

Archaeologists analyzing plant remains (corn, cassava, coca) found with the mummified bodies of three Inca children sacrificed on the Llullaillaco volcano in Argentina have linked their deaths to the reign of one of the last Inca emperors. The "Llullaillaco Maiden" — a teenage girl discovered in 1999 along with two younger children — was sacrificed over 500 years ago, and new evidence suggests political motivations of the Inca emperor led to the ritual sacrifice.