Study Finds Drugs in Inca Child Mummies' Hair
Researchers tested hair and nails from Inca child sacrifices in Peru and Argentina and found coca, alcohol, and harmine traces.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Cocktails
Researchers led by Dagmara Socha at the University of Warsaw tested hair and nails from child mummies found in Peru and Argentina, published in Antiquity. Every hair sample contained coca, and four children showed signs of alcohol, possibly from the maize beer chicha.
Why it matters
The findings offer direct physical evidence of substances consumed before Inca child sacrifices during the capacocha ritual, which had previously been known mainly from colonial-era records and archaeological context. Differences in substances by mountain suggest the rituals were tailored to local gods.
Harmine was found only in the nail of Juanita, a 14-year-old found on Ampato in 1995, and the chemical is used in the hallucinogenic drink ayahuasca. The 2022 pilot study detected harmine in two other Ampato children, but the full sample size and the plant's origin in the Amazon rainforest remain subjects for further analysis.
The players
Dagmara Socha
Lead researcher at the University of Warsaw who analyzed hair and nail samples from the child mummies.
University of Warsaw
Polish public university whose research team conducted the chemical analysis of the Inca mummies.
Antiquity
Peer-reviewed archaeology journal in which the study was published.
The details
Children were selected from across the Inca Empire for the capacocha ritual, some offered by families and others taken as hostages from conquered lands. Hair from one girl's final month shows less cocaine and the first signs of alcohol, indicating changes in consumption before her death.
Timeline
About 500 years ago: Inca child sacrifices during the capacocha ritual took place.
1995: Juanita was discovered on Ampato.
2022: A pilot study found harmine in two other Ampato children.
Last month of the girl's life: Hair showed reduced cocaine and first signs of alcohol.
Season Trajectory
Previous scholarship relied heavily on colonial-era Spanish chronicles to describe the capacocha ritual, and the physical evidence now confirms and refines what those accounts only sketched. The discovery that rituals varied by mountain shifts the picture from a single imperial ceremony toward regionally tailored practices.
Readers interested in the history of ritual drinks can trace how fermented beverages like chicha were used in Andean ceremonies. The study shows that substance use in these rituals was highly specific, which may inform how historians interpret other archaeological finds.
The takeaway
Hair and nail analysis can reveal substances consumed before death, offering a window into ancient rituals that written records alone cannot provide. The findings suggest that Inca ceremonial practices adapted to local beliefs across the empire.
Further reading
For more on the substances behind historic ceremonial drinks, explore our Cocktails coverage.
