This is an important find because it shows that El Misti is the mountain with the greatest number of human offerings in the world. The well-preserved mummies were found in two graves buried with ceremonial pots, gold and silver statues, along with cloth blankets burned by volcanic ash, Peruvian archaeologist Ruth Salas said today. The Incas, whose empire covered most of the Andes along South America's western coast before the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, practiced human sacrifice to appease their gods. Many mummies from Peru's pre-Columbian Indian cultures have been found, but few have been frozen.
Frozen mummies are better preserved and can reveal more information, scientists say.
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