When Johan Reinhard found the Inca Ice Maiden in 1995, news of his discovery reached more than a billion people. Within months of the finding, the mummy was the subject of television documentaries, front-page newspaper stories, and magazine features. Now National Geographic presents the first-hand account from the discoverer himself.
Combining the adventure of the modern-day Andes with the mysteries of past cultures, Reinhard's narrative is a mesmerizing, one-of-a-kind account of two of the most pivotal events in the history of science.
In The Ice Maiden, Reinhard takes readers on a two-decade, high-altitude adventure through the Andes and shares the exhilaration of his momentous finds—on Ampato, where the first frozen Inca female body was uncovered, and on Llullaillaco where three Inca children were found frozen to near perfection. To date, they are the most well-preserved mummies ever discovered. These long-ago sacrifices to the Inca gods, aside from fulfilling an archaeologist's dream, are a five-century time capsule filled with clues to an ancient culture, from DNA to complete Inca clothing.
The mummies are a touchstone for the understanding of the countless artifacts—including many gold and silver statues—that Reinhard unearthed during his expeditions in the Andes.
"Books about monumental scientific discoveries can be tremendously exciting, if told in the right way.... Reinhard, an experienced writer, sure knows how to tell this one."—Booklist
