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Peru Tourist Guide
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SOUTHERN PERU:
Arequipa, the "White City":
Santa Catalina
Museum Santuarios Andinos
Colca Canyon
Museo Santuarios Andinos (Museum of Andean Sanctuaries)
The museum's most famous attraction is the 600 year old frozen body of Juanita,
the young Inca girl who was discovered in near perfect condition on top of the Ampato
Volcano in 1995. She was killed as a sacrificial offering to the mountain gods and
buried in a tomb with a number of funeral offerings that are also on display in the
museum, along with other ice mummies found on the mountain. The body had been encased
in ice and preserved by the freezing temperatures on the 20,000ft (6,000m) peak for
hundreds of years, and was found after a volcanic eruption melted the ice and exposed the
tomb. The Ice Maiden is displayed in a refrigerated glass case, and analysis of her DNA has
afforded great insights into the Inca culture. An interesting video documents the discovery
and is included as part of the compulsory tour.
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