100 ceremonial centers and shrines were built within Inca territories on or near the high summits of the Andes Mountains. These sites were often meant to function both religiously and politically. Some mountains were viewed as origin places or the home to important mountain deities. Building shrines on these mountains both paid homage to the deities and also placed an imperial stamp on areas important to local beliefs, fulfilling both religious and political goals. In a number of instances, typically at the most important of these mountains, these sites contain the mummified remains of children sacrificed in capacocha ceremonies. Capacocha ceremonies at these important locations held a great deal of weight. Inca priests would periodically visit distributed across the Inca realm and certificate if they still maintained its power or had lost it, on occasions destroying the discredited . Travel to these sites would have involved a procession of priests, the children who would be sacrificed, and a number of other important individuals throughout the empire. Different peoples would assist with the procession as the group moved throughout the different regions of the empire. These sites were difficult to reach and even more difficult to work on. In order to increase the ease with which these mountaintop locations could be reached, the Incas built staging stations lower on the mountains and also made paths that lead up to the summit. Some preparation would likely have occurred at () situated nearby. Llullaillaco One particularly noteworthy site was found near the summit of Mount Llullaillaco, a volcano in Argentina that lies near the Chilean border. This mountain appears to have been the site of the conclusion of a capacocha ceremony, taking place at an elevation of around 6,739 meters above sea level. In 1999, the mummies of three relatively young individuals were found at the top of the mountain alongside a diverse assemblage of artifacts. Excavations around the main ceremonial structure, a rectangular platform, revealed the burials of a young girl of about 14 years of age, a girl of about 6 years of age, and a boy of about 7 years of age along with over 100 offerings of various materials. Due to the frigid conditions, both the mummies and the materials were well preserved. Some of the notable artifacts found at the site include a feathered headdress, well-made clothing, a number of ceramics, bowls and spoons made of wood, various