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T. Seguin

Onboard a research vessel on Lake Titicaca, project director Christophe Delaere and other team members share their discovery with archaeologist Johan Reinhard.

A member of the research team dives into Lake Titicaca, which straddles the border of Bolivia and Peru. The Inca revered the lake as a god and gave it offerings, which may have included human sacrifices.

The offering box contained a miniature llama made of coral-hued shell and a small gold bracelet. An early Spanish account stated that offering boxes also included the blood of sacrificed children or animals.

The offering box was made of local volcanic stone and sealed with a round stone plug. Unlike previous discoveries, this offering was intact and caked in sediment, indicating it had not been moved since it was lowered into the lake 500 years ago.