Now THIS isn’t something you’d read about in your history books. This story dates way back to the glory days of the Incans. In 1999, the body of a young Incan girl was discovered on a volcano in Argentina. This Incan girl now known as “The Maiden” was only 15-years-old when she died. Even though she’s been dead for 500 years, her frozen body has remained preserved, perfectly in tact after all these years making it look like she had just died.

Backstory on “The Madien” and Incan traditions —The Incans would sacrifice children to the gods as an offering. The children, not knowing they were about to be sacrificed, would be taken up in the mountains. They would be fed coca leaves on the way up and then once they reached the summit they’d be given an intoxicating drink. Incan leaders would then kill them and sometimes leave them to freeze in the elements. Which is what most likely happened to “The Maiden”.

Luckily she was left to freeze some 500 years ago because her body has been perfectly preserved, allowing scientists to research her and they found something inside her preserved body that could change everything. They say that she had a bacterial infection when she died, similar to tuberculosis. By discovering this bacteria, which dates back so many years, it could help them fight new illnesses or diseases that might make a comeback.

Although “The Maiden” was taken at such a young age 500 years ago, her sacrifice then could save thousands of lives today. How crazy is that?! So insane to think that something like this could even happen and even crazier that it could make an impact like this on us today.

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