The accompanying images illustrate a part of that story and a
more detailed account is due to appear in a future issue of National
Geographic Magazine.

Here I will briefly summarize what occurred:
By the afternoon of December 4, it was clear that we had uncovered another
human sacrifice. Thanks to the satellite phone, we were able to call for
two climbers to bring provisions for us from Arequipa, which enabled us to
remain another five days.

But by the time they reached us two days later, a storm front had moved in we had no choice but to leave the mountain or risked being trapped.

Fortunately, in the meantime we had completely
excavated the burial: the mummy was still wrapped in textiles and would
could not be certain if it was a male or female, although a female figurine
found by the mummy's side indicates that the mummy will probably be female
and from the size of the bundle it is a young girl. She was found close to
the girl with the headdress, whose tomb was depicted in my June 1996
National Geographic article. We also found with this latest mummy fine
Inca ceramics. During a break in the weather, team members took turns
carrying the mummy's 90 lb. load UP from 19,300' to our camp at 20,300' and then down the opposite side of the mountain to our Base Camp at 16,300' where we were met December 10 by vehicles to take us back to Arequipa. We had been on the mountain 19 days. The mummy was so well protected that it arrived exactly as it had been packed on the mountain, with the fine snow used for helping keep her frozen still powdery. Now the work of conservation and study has begun.

As for me, this marked the end of expeditions for this year, as the
weather was becoming more unstable and I had work to return to in the USA. Next year we plan to continue with expeditions to some of the other
mountains, where we hope to find out more about the Incas...and beat the
looters who have already destroyed so much of Peru's cultural heritage,
including at sites over 20,000' high.

  Previous updates:

NOV.27th

DEC. 1ST

DEC.4th