What was the Inca rite of child sacrifice called?

The Inca rite of child sacrifice was called Capacocha. Also spelled Qhapaq hucha, it was a major state ceremony in which children and other offerings were dedicated at sacred places called huacas.

Capacocha could mark major events in the life of the Sapa Inca, including an accession, illness, death, or the birth of an heir. It was also performed in response to disasters or during important religious festivals. Selected children were often dressed in fine clothing, given food, coca, and chicha, and taken on long journeys from across the empire to ceremonial sites, including high mountain shrines.

The ritual was not simply a random act of violence. In Inca religious thinking, the chosen children were considered especially pure and became intermediaries with the gods. Archaeological discoveries such as the Llullaillaco children and the Ampato mummy provide evidence for the practice. Capacocha is sometimes confused with a general term for sacrifice, but it refers specifically to this organized Inca sacrificial rite, which often involved children.