Burial practices The Aconcagua mummy was buried inside a semicircular stone structure and found covered in vomit, red pigment, and fecal remains. The body was wrapped in textiles in a style derived from central coastal Peru. While the textiles that wrapped the boy are associated with coastal Peru, isotopic evidence indicates that he was likely raised in the Highlands. Six statuettes were also found buried with the body. The burial of the Aconcagua mummy contained a multitude of grave goods. Female
capacocha mummies were often buried with more honorable and extravagant grave goods, which made the male burial of the Aconcagua distinct.
Isotopic analysis When analyzing the isotopes of the Aconcagua mummy, scientists concentrated specifically on carbon, nitrogen and sulfur. The analysis shows that in the year and a half before his death, his diet consisted primarily of maize, quinoa, capsicum, potatoes, and terrestrial meat. Before the child was chosen for the sacrifice, his diet was primarily marine-based. The presence of
achiote was also found inside his stomach and colon. Because of the conflicting results of the isotopes suggesting the child was from the summits but survived off a marine based diet, researchers tried to pinpoint the ethnicity of the child. In this attempt, a hair sample from the mummy was used. Unfortunately, this isotopic analysis yielded little information about the child's ethnicity, so researchers concluded he was likely from Pacific regions ranging from Southern Peru to central Chile. == Capacocha ==