When leaving the Museum of Fine Arts we walk four blocks along Belgrano avenue towards the Plaza de Armas until we reach Bartolomé Miter, here we turn right and after half a block we will find the
Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montaña is a must for all who visit Salta, as it has surprising content about the discovery of the
children of Llullaillaco , an archaeological discovery of more than 500 years ago. These are three children who were offered by the Inca empire and found at 6730 meters above sea level, on the summit of the Llullaillaco volcano.
Seeing their cryo-preserved bodies is mobilizing, but it is a fascinating gateway to entrance to the archaeological world.
The Capac Cocha (royal obligation in Quechua) was one of the most transcendental rituals of the Inca Empire. It was performed in honor of the god Viracocha and included the sacrifice of boys who were taken to the summits of the highest hills and volcanoes in the Andes (as close as possible to Inti, the sun god) and were abandoned there. Some were previously assassinated, others died of hypothermia.
The MAAM located a few meters from Plaza 9 de Julio , shows the whole story behind these sacrifices and every detail in its modern and educational facilities. The bodies of the three children are exposed in a low-temperature capsule that works with the cryopreservation process.