Ancient Peruvian culture's chilling family sacrifice uncovered
A terrifying discovery by researchers in Peru has come to light. According to their findings, an ancient culture engaged in a religious practice that involved sacrificing family members. The "ritual victims" were allegedly teenage children.
National Geographic, citing information from the American journal of the National Academy of Sciences, describes the brutal ritual uncovered by researchers. It involves the sacrifice of family members.
Similar stories about ancient peoples in South America are familiar to historians and archaeologists. National Geographic notes that in 1487, during a four-day ceremony in honour of the god Huitzilopochtli, even tens of thousands of prisoners were executed by the Aztecs.
Were family members sacrificed? Shocking findings of researchers in Peru
Recently, an equally shocking story came to light. According to analyses by researchers, the Moche culture, which flourished on Peru's northern coast between 100 and 800 AD, practised human sacrifice. In 2005, in one of the tombs, the remains of six people—a woman, three men, and two teenagers—were discovered. Initially, it seemed these individuals were unrelated, but the latest reports suggest they were a family.
One aspect is particularly shocking. It turns out that the teenagers were suffocated. Researchers believe that one of them was sacrificed to his own father. Suffocation, according to Professor Fehren-Schmitz, who spoke with Live Science, was regarded as a "private and dignified" form of sacrifice, reserved for individuals of higher social or spiritual status.
National Geographic reminds us that there were also cultures in Europe that engaged in human sacrifice. This includes the Celtic culture.
