As noted by Spanish chroniclers such as Pedro de Cieza de León, Coropuna played an important role in Inca religion and an important temple was situated there, possibly at Maucallacta. Pedro de Cieza de León considered Coropuna to be the fifth most important holy site of the Inca empire. One archaeological site on the volcano may have been a stopover for religious ceremonies to its summit. Capacocha, a form of human sacrifice, were offered to the mountain; reportedly, in 1965, a mummy was found there.