Unique Projects: The Ampato Maiden

Her discoverer, American anthropologist Dr. Johan Reinhard, called her a “window” to the ancient culture of the Incas, but her long-term preservation demanded a refrigerated case whose temperature and humidity could be controlled precisely and reliably. Being able to display the mummy also would spark both public and scholarly interest.

The National Geographic Society, sponsor of Dr. Reinhard’s explorations, asked Carrier if it could build and donate two identical cases that would allow the ice maiden to be displayed while preserving the delicate temperature and humidity balance she required.

Carrier engineers took less than three months to design and build a product that normally would have taken about two years. How? By modifying an existing product that already had proven its reliability in cooling thousands of hotel and motel rooms throughout the world.

When the “Ampato Maiden” was flown to Washington, D.C. and exhibited in National Geographic’s Explorers Hall, more than 100,000 persons had the chance to learn more about an ancient culture whose sophistication and achievements still inspire awe.

But Carrier’s preservation role continues as scientists from many fields stand in line for their own chance to gaze through their own “window” to the past.

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