Child sacrifice in ancient Peru
Evidence for the largest single incident of mass child sacrifice in
the Americas— and likely in world history—has been discovered on Peru's
northern coast, archaeologists tell National Geographic. More than 140 children and 200 young llamas appear to have been
ritually sacrificed in an event that took place some 550 years ago on a
wind-swept bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in the shadow of what
was then the sprawling capital of the Chimú Empire...
While incidents of human sacrifice among the Aztec, Maya,
and Inca have been recorded in colonial-era Spanish chronicles and
documented in modern scientific excavations, the discovery of a
large-scale child sacrifice event in the little-known pre-Columbian
Chimú civilization is unprecedented in the Americas—if not in the entire
world...
The skeletal remains of
both children and animals show evidence of cuts to the sternum as well
as rib dislocations, which suggest that the victims' chests were cut
open and pulled apart, perhaps to facilitate the removal of the heart...
The layer of mud found
during excavations may provide a clue, say the researchers, who suggest
it was the result of severe rain and flooding on the generally arid
coastline, and probably associated with a climate event related to El-Niño.
More information, and a slideshow, at National Geographic.
your 'at National Geographic' link does not link to there.
ReplyDeleteI-)
Fixed. Thanks for the heads-up.
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