Frozen Incan Mummy "Juanita"

I've spent today in Arequipa, it was a bit of a mission getting here but hopefully the Colca Canyon will be worth it that I start tomorrow.

I spent the night on a Cromotex bus for 9 hrs in a Karma reclining chair from cusco. I found out I can't sleep on planes or busses.

Anyways I arrived into Arequipa at 0530 to unfortunately not be greeted by the transfer I had organised... So after waiting 40 minutes i jumped in a taxi and made my own way to my accommodation. Not a real good start to the day, ohh well I was half expecting it given my lack of forward planning and trying to organise things over email a few days beforehand.

The morning was spent sleeping, but I finally awoke at 1400 and decided it was time to explore.

Id heard from another back packer in Buenos Aires of an interesting frozen mummy that was stored in Arequipa that was discovered in the last 10 years after a volcano had erupted and melted the snow surrounding the mummy.

It turns out the mummy was a 12 year old girl who was sacrificed to the mountain to appease the mountain gods and prevent a volcanic eruption some 500 years ago. The young girl "Juanita" had been raised from a young age to be sacrificed, seems this was a common practise at the time. So a procession started in Cusco and trekked almost 600 km and up to the top of Picchu Picchu mountain some 5500 m above sea level. Then she was smashed on the head and buried with a heap of offerings. Given the height she froze and majority of her body, skin, organs have been preserved.

Anyways long story short archeologists are discovering quite a few similar sacrifices throughout the andes from Columbia down to chille.

Tomorrow I start a 2 day tour of the Colca Canyon and hopefully spy a condor or two, and finally end up in Puno and Lake Titicaca.

Well that's me done for the day, adios muchachos