Llullaillaco Volcano, in the heart of the bleak and breathtakingly beautiful Argentine Puna
The Incas were partial to sacrificing people on the top of very high or pyramid shaped mountains. Llullaillaco Volcano is the second highest mountain in the Americas so Dr. Johann Reinhard, who led the expedition to its summit, had a pretty good hunch that there was something up there. The expedition and subsequent discovery of an Inca burial ground is commemorated in Salta’s Museum of high altitude archeology or MAAM, one of Argentina’s best and most extraordinary museums.
The Lightning Girl, one of the museum’s three mummies
The museum has not been without controversy; after all grave digging, even when done by the National Geographic (one of the expedition’s sponsors), is still grave digging and the descendents of the mummified remains of the sacrifices live in Cusco, Peru. However, it was all done with the blessing of the local communities and the general opinion in the northwest of Argentina is that the interest that it has a brought to the region far outweighs any moral issues. They also did a fantastic job with the museum; though the mummies themselves are pretty spine-chilling they were found with a huge amount of Inca craftsmanship. It is all laid out and explained brilliantly and it gives you a fascinating insight to a culture that we have almost entirely lost.
The museum’s Spanish colonial facade looks out on Salta city’s main plaza
