When the conquistadors invaded the Americas during the 16th century, the Inca Empire had developed from a small regional government into the largest political entity of the pre-Columbian Andes. The Inca state organized numerous religious ceremonies, not only to appease their corresponding huacas but also to assert political dominance over conquered territories.
Of these religious ceremonies, the capacocha ranked among the most significant. Capacocha rituals centered on the sacrifice of young women and children, people whom society regarded as unspoiled. Female candidates were selected for their beauty as well as their virginity, and housed in special compounds where they awaited the day they would be sacrificed by the priests. . .
Previously, it was assumed the victims of this ritual consumed psychoactive drugs to help them get in touch with the supernatural forces they were about to meet. However, a recently published toxicological analysis suggests the drugs were used not to induce visions, but to combat the depression and anxiety one would feel at the prospect of being sacrificed.
https://bigthink.com/the-past/inca-ayahuasca-human-sacrifice/