Mummies have been a fascination for many people all over the world. When King Tut was unearthed years ago the world became even more enthralled with the idea of not only seeing a mummy but also the treasures that they may have buried with them. As most people have heard, Egyptian culture has been examined and dissected many times over the years. Many of their treasures have been discovered, but more are probably waiting to see the light again. We hear about the discoveries made all over, but rarely do we hear about Incan Culture or society.
There is not as much known about the Ancient Inca culture, but from what archeologists have been able to discover, it is known that the Kings of the Incan Society were called “Capac.” Capac were allowed to have as many wives as they pleased, and usually did so. Unfortunately incest was rampant in ancient times, due to the belief that Inca Nobility (Inka) was passed down through the blood and the only way for it to remain in the family was to breed within the family. So in ancient Inca culture it was deemed not only necessary but an honor to your family to marry a sibling.
The Inca’s culture seemed to flourish in the fourteen and fifteen hundreds, perched atop the Andes Mountain in South America. The Inca culture also involved the worshipping of the sun, who was believed to be the ancient Father of the Incan people. With this belief also came the belief that the Incas themselves were superior to others and that they were meant to rule others. Even in death a King still remains a royal, and so deserves the royal form of mummification.
Prayers and magic spells were part of transforming a royal corpse into a royal mummy. There are nine steps to complete the transformation.
1. Remove the internal organs by incision and pull the brain through the nostrils with an iron hook.
2. Replace the heart with a carved replica of the sun.
3. Rinse the body cavity with palm wine.
4. Reshape face and body as deemed necessary to repair damage from death.
5. Place aromatic substances within the body, sew it up, cover the body with divine salts and allow seventy days for the corpse to dry.
6. Wash the body and wrap it in undercoated linen sheets, drawing facial features in ink to recreate the appearance that was once royal.
7. Place the deceased into a specially made coffin, then transfer the coffin to a stone vessel.
8. Objects that symbolize the royals status and objects that would be useful in the next life were placed inside the stone vessel.
9. Seal the Tomb.
