Inca Ritual Evidence Suggests Llamas Were Dressed, Painted, and Possibly Buried Alive in Elite Offerings
New archaeological reporting is sharpening the picture of how the Inca used llamas in state ritual, suggesting the animals were adorned with tassels and face paint before being sacrificed in high-status ceremonies. The findings add a stark human and environmental dimension to the study of Andean power, revealing how religion, politics, and animal use were tightly bound in the imperial world.
