A reconstruction of the face of the woman called Juanita is presented as part of the exhibition at the Andean Sanctuaries Museum in Peru. The event summarises five years of the cooperation between the Centre for Andean Studies of the University of Warsaw, and the Santa Maria Catholic University of Arequipa.

On 24th October, the exhibition “Capacocha, following the Inca Divinities” was inaugurated. It summarizes the last five years of the collaboration between the UW’s Centre for Andean Studies, and the Santa María Catholic University of Arequipa (UCSM). The curators of the exhibition are Dr Dagmara Socha and Dr Dominika Sieczkowska from the Centre for Andean Studies, the University of Warsaw.

The most important exhibit is the reconstruction of the face of the Lady from Ampato, known as Juanita. She was found on the slopes of the Ampato volcano 28 years ago. The reconstruction was undertaken in cooperation with the Swedish artist Oscar Nilsson.

“Using VR goggles, the visitors can make a virtual pilgrimage in the footsteps of capacocha, following the remains of Inca roads to the tambos – the last stops – on the slopes of Chachani, Misti and Pichu Pichu,” Dr Dagmara Socha says.

Peruvian exhibition

As part of the exhibition, the visitors can learn about the results of the isotopic, genetic and toxicological analyses. Three-dimensional models of each object are also presented. Dr Bartłomiej Ćmielewski from Wrocław University of Science and Technology prepared the three-dimensional documentation of the objects.

During the inauguration of the event, Dr Dominika Sieczkowska read a congratulatory letter from Prof. Zygmunt Lalak, the UW Vice-Rector for Research.

The opening of the exhibition was attended by Dr Franz Grupp Castelo, the Director of the Andean Sanctuaries Museum of the UCSM, Dr Gonzalo Davila del Carpio, the Director of Research of the Vice-Rectorate of Research, Dr Johan Reinhard, the discoverer of the Lady of Ampato, National Geographic Explorer, and Harold Loli Rosales, an archaeologist, the Director of the Deconcentrated Directorate of Culture Arequipa.