Inca mummies in Arequipa

Sarita was found sitting cross-legged in the sun, just north of here on Sara Sara mountain. She's more than 500 years old and one of eight of handful of children found in this region, frozen in ice, all of them sacrificial offerings to ancient gods.

Sarita is a little different from the other children. She's a little older, probably in her late teens. She sits cross-legged, the others lie in a foetal position. She's in the worst shape, exposed to the sun for much longer than the others before she was found. Despite this, her hair long dark hair is shiny, her fingernails and teeth are in tact, and skin still covers most of her body.

Sarita is not normally the main attraction at Museo Santuarios Andinos in Arequipa. She shares the spotlight with Juanita, a teenage girl hidden by the Ampato Volcano for more than 500 years. Juanita has been better preserved than Sarita. Her mummified body was discovered in 1995, when an eruption from a nearby volcano melted Ampato's ice cap, allowing expeditions into its crater for the first time.

Both girls have large cracks in their skulls, caused by a blunt object just moments before their bodies were wrapped in blankets and left on the mountain. It's widely believed that they would have climbed the mountain, aware of their fate, clad in ceremonial dress and woven flip flops which offered little protection against the cold and snow. Small figurines, pots and momentos were found with each girl. Like Sarita and Juanita, these have been carefully preserved and help us understand their story, their culture, and the reasons why they gave their lives willingly to the mountains.