Scientists from the Center for Andean Studies at the University of Warsaw in Poland and the Catholic University of Santa Maria (UCSM) in Peru unveiled last Tuesday (October 24) the hyperrealistic 3D reconstruction of the face of a girl who died 500 years ago during the Inca Empire was sacrificed. Her body was found frozen in 1995 by American anthropologist Johan Reinhard in Caylloma province, 6,319 meters above sea level, near the crater of the snowcapped volcano in Ampato, southern Peru, and has been studied ever since.
Juanita was named Virgin of Ampato in honor of the mountain where she was found. According to studies, she was between 14 and 15 years old and 1.40 meters tall when she was sacrificed in honor of the Andes Mountains, considered one of the most important deities of the Inca culture.
According to a UCSM publication, the sculpture was created based on tomography of the body, DNA studies, ethnological features and age. For its preservation, the Virgin’s body is kept in a special chamber at 20 degrees Celsius in the Museum of Andean Sanctuaries of the Catholic University of Santa María. Museum visitors can observe it directly.
*Intern led by Pedro Grigori