When someone passes away, we tell the family and friends that they will not be forgotten and that their legacy is eternal.
But how long is forever? Longer than a hundred years? Three hundred years? Five hundred years?
When a 15-year-old Inca girl died 500 years ago, no one could have imagined that today we would know her face.
But when her frozen body was found in 1999 – in perfect condition – she taught us interesting facts about her life, death, and the Inca empire.
And not only that, what she carried in her body could even change the future of medicine…
Scroll down to read the story of “The Maiden”.
To start this story properly, we need to turn the clock back about 500 years.
At that time, the Inca Empire was the largest empire in America in the pre-Columbian era. Its influence extended over almost the entire western coast of South America.
In recent history, archaeological excavations have shown us much about the life and culture of the Incas.
On one excavation in 1999, a young woman was found, known as “The Maiden”. She was found near the top (6,739m) of the Argentine volcano called Llullaillaco.
The Maiden was an Inca girl who must have died when she was about 15 years old.
It is most likely that she was sacrificed by the Incas to appease their gods.
When her frozen body was found, it was still in perfect condition.
The Maiden, like many other children sacrificed by the Incas, was taken to a high mountain peak and given coca leaves to chew and corn beer to drink.
But while some children were beaten to death or suffocated, others were left to freeze to death, as likely happened with The Maiden.
When an autopsy was performed on The Maiden, doctors discovered something shocking.
The Maiden had a clump of coca leaves between her teeth, indicating that the 15-year-old was heavily drugged when she died. But that wasn’t all.
Doctors also found that she had a bacterial infection that closely resembles tuberculosis.
What does this mean? Believe it or not, according to doctors, this discovery could actually be a breakthrough for modern medicine!
It turns out that the discovery of the bacteria could potentially help fight new or mutated diseases in the near future.
So, as incredible as it sounds, because this girl has been dead for over 500 years… her sacrifice could possibly help find remedies for diseases that didn’t even exist when she was alive! Unbelievable!
Don’t miss this interesting video about The Maiden and her discovery. It has been viewed over 7 million times on YouTube:
Be sure to share this story with your friends so they can also marvel at the story of The Maiden!
