July
18
/ 2026
The Inca made long pilgrimages across rugged Andes mountain trails in preparation for the empire’s sacred ritual, Capacocha. They endured weeks of climbing, carrying offerings, and spiritual paraphernalia. They took with them sacrificial offerings that included the children and young women who would be sacrificed. The Inca believed the children would achieve divinity, becoming messengers who moved between the worlds of ancestors, humans, and mountain gods. The messengers would appeal to the gods for fertile fields, good weather, and a strong, expanding Inca state. The Inca Empire: What Made it so Powerful? 12 Absolutely Amazing Artifacts of the Inca New Study Examines Capacocha Pilgrimages and Ritual Sacrifice A recent scientific study, Pilgrimage to Sacrifice: Mechanisms, Causes, and Time of Death
