Frozen Legacy: Return of the Incan 'Child of Chañi'

The 'Child of Chañi,' a mummified Incan child found in 1905 high in the mountains of northwestern Argentina, has been repatriated to an indigenous community after more than a century in a Buenos Aires museum.

Discovered at approximately 5,900 meters above sea level in Jujuy province, the child's remains were originally uncovered by military personnel and mountaineers. The child, aged between 5 and 7, was sacrificed in a sacred Incan ritual called 'capacocha.' Since then, the mummy had been housed in the Juan B. Ambrosetti Ethnographic Museum at the University of Buenos Aires.

On Thursday, the mummy was moved to the town of El Moreno in Jujuy, where the Kolla indigenous community welcomed its return with ceremonies. 'This little boy tells us much about our identity,' Clemente Flores, a Kolla leader, stated. The restitution ceremony was accompanied by an apology from university officials for the delayed return, emphasizing the limits of scientific pursuits. The final resting place of the mummy remains undecided.

(With inputs from agencies.)