Ampato is not the volcano most visible from Arequipa. It lies 80 kilometers northwest of the city, in the province of Caylloma, on the southern side of the Colca Canyon, and its 6,288-meter summit only appears on the horizon from specific points in the city with good visibility. But it has something none of the volcanoes surrounding Arequipa can claim: it was the site of the most important archaeological discovery in the Andes during the 20th century. In September 1995, 150 meters below the main summit, archaeologist Johan Reinhard and Arequipa mountaineer Miguel Zárate discovered the frozen body of an Inca teenage girl sacrificed more than 500 years ago. That discovery turned Ampato into a name known around the world and made Arequipa the place where visitors can see what archaeologists consider the best-preserved pre-Hispanic mummy in the Americas.
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Geology and location
Ampato is an inactive stratovolcano belonging to the Volcanic Cordillera of southern Peru, within the same chain as Sabancaya and Hualca Hualca. Its name comes from the Aymara word hampatu, meaning frog, in reference to the mountain’s silhouette when viewed from certain points in the surrounding valleys.
At 6,288 meters, it is the highest volcano in the immediate surroundings of the Colca Canyon and the highest point in that valley. Although classified as inactive, its last recorded activity occurred between 1988 and 1998 when it emitted gray ash, and it was precisely this recent activity from neighboring Sabancaya that indirectly caused the melting of the ice that revealed the mummy in 1995. This connection between contemporary volcanic activity and the archaeological discovery is one of the most fascinating aspects of Ampato’s history: without the eruption of Sabancaya, the mummy would have remained frozen and hidden indefinitely.
The first recorded modern ascent was carried out in 1966 by Canadian climber Richart Culbert. Since then, Ampato has become a mountaineering destination for specialized expeditions, although it has never experienced the visitor traffic of Misti or Chachani because of its greater distance from Arequipa and the technical conditions of its final section.
The 1995 discovery: how it happened
The story of the discovery of Mummy Juanita has more the texture of an exploration tale than a planned archaeological project. In September 1995, Johan Reinhard and Miguel Zárate were climbing Ampato to observe from above the effects of the eruption of Sabancaya volcano, which was active during that period. While Reinhard was taking notes in his notebook, he heard Zárate’s exclamation of surprise. What they had found was a small fan of red parrot feathers protruding from a mound, an unmistakably Inca object in a place where nothing should have been.
The ash from Sabancaya had warmed the ice on Ampato in the preceding years and melted the tomb where the mummy rested. Once deprived of the supporting ice that contained it, the mummy had partially rolled down the slope. Reinhard and Zárate extracted the body from the ice chamber that still partially trapped it and carried it down to the base camp at 4,900 meters. The mummy was found at 6,219 meters and weighed approximately 40 kilograms. Carrying it down to the foot of the volcano was described by the expedition members themselves as a titanic task across ash-covered ice terrain.
During later expeditions in October 1995 and December 1997, led by archaeologists José Antonio Chávez and Johan Reinhard, three additional mummies were discovered at 5,850 meters: a boy and a girl aged 8 and 12 respectively, sacrificed alongside Juanita as companions in the ceremony, and a third adult mummy.
Juanita: who she was and what happened to her
Juanita, also called the Lady of Ampato or the Ice Maiden, was a teenage girl between 12 and 15 years old who was sacrificed around the year 1466 during the reign of Túpac Inca Yupanqui. Researchers classify her as a ñusta or palla, a young girl educated in an acllahuasi for service to the solar cult and the Inca, selected for the capacocha ritual during a time of severe drought affecting the valley communities. The sacrifice was the ultimate offering a community could make to the Apu to ask for its intervention.
Studies performed on the body indicate that Juanita underwent a strict fast in the days leading up to her death and that her last meals, consumed between six and eight hours before dying, were entirely plant-based. She was prepared with herbs and coca leaves to induce a sedated state before receiving the blow from a ceremonial club that caused her death. She was buried seated in a shallow pit near the summit, dressed in high-quality garments and wearing decorative feathers on her head. The gold and silver figurines and spondylus objects accompanying her confirmed her elevated rank within Inca social hierarchy.
The extreme conditions at Ampato’s summit preserved the body with an integrity unmatched by any other known pre-Hispanic mummy: the skin, hair, internal organs, clothing, and ritual objects survived into the 20th century in a state that enabled scientific analyses impossible with any other type of preservation. In 2025, a team of Polish and Peruvian scientists completed a hyper-realistic facial reconstruction of Juanita using CT scans and skull analysis, producing a silicone bust that reveals what the teenage girl looked like. That bust is displayed at the Andean Sanctuaries Museum in Arequipa alongside the preserved body.
Where to see Juanita today
Mummy Juanita is preserved at the Andean Sanctuaries Museum of the Catholic University of Santa María on La Merced Street in Arequipa’s historic center. It is the most accessible point of contact for any traveler interested in the Ampato discovery without needing to reach the volcano itself. The museum visit includes an audiovisual presentation about the discovery and historical context before entering the room where the body is preserved inside a temperature- and humidity-controlled display case.
It is important to note that the mummy rotates with others in order to preserve its condition, so during certain periods Juanita may not be on display and may be replaced by another mummy from the collection. Checking in advance whether Juanita is currently exhibited helps avoid surprises upon arrival.
The ascent: for experienced mountaineers
The ascent of Ampato is a mountaineering expedition that surpasses Misti and Chachani in technical difficulty. The most commonly used route begins from Pampa Sallalli and presents no technical difficulties until 6,000 meters, where the dirt and rock terrain gives way to glacier conditions requiring high-mountain equipment: crampons, ice axe, and rope are essential for the final section. This technical demand in the final meters is what distinguishes Ampato from the volcanoes of Arequipa’s three guardians and places it in a higher difficulty category.
Access to the volcano begins with the transfer from Arequipa to Chivay, approximately three hours, and from Chivay to Maca, another half hour. From Maca, travelers continue toward the volcano’s base. A road allows vehicles to reach 5,100 meters, where the hike begins. The standard expedition format lasts three or four days including transportation, acclimatization, ascent, and descent.
The slopes of Ampato feature a wetland area called Sallalli with Andean ducks, huallatas, and trout in streams fed by glacial meltwater. There are also hot springs near the base and flat terrain where 4×4 vehicle activities take place.
When to go
The dry season between May and October is the recommended time for the ascent. The rainy season between November and April complicates access with snow, ice, and reduced visibility. The same seasonality applies for travelers visiting the Colca area who want to see Ampato from the valley without climbing it.