Ancient Maya rituals: Chilling evidence unearthed in Guatemala
Archaeologists made a terrifying discovery at the archaeological site in Dos Pilas, Guatemala, some time ago. In the "Cave of Blood," they found human remains scattered on the ground. According to scientists, these are remnants of bloody rituals conducted by the Maya.
The Maya created a highly developed civilisation and left behind a fascinating world that archaeologists are still keen to explore today. Some discoveries are frightening and demonstrate that the Maya engaged in cruel practices.
As reported by "LADbible," the macabre discovery was made at an archaeological site in Dos Pilas, in the department of Petén, Guatemala. This site is interesting because during Maya times, it was a city that could have housed up to 10,000 inhabitants.
Brutal ritual in the "Cave of Blood"
Archaeologists discovered a network of caves beneath the city as early as the 1990s. One was named the "Cave of Blood," or Cueva de Sangre. In this cave, many human remains were found scattered on the ground.
LADbible reports that one of the most fascinating aspects of the find is the state of the bones, which show signs of trauma, indicating the cave may have been a site for ritual killings approximately 2,000 years ago.
As we read, they discovered fragments of human skulls and pelvic bones, where scientists noticed that the remains were arranged in a specific way. Marks observed on some of the bones also indicate that the killer used a tool similar to an axe.
Some bones were broken, and the skulls were incised. — In Maya ritual, body parts are just as valuable as the whole body — explained Live Science's Michele Bleuze, a bioarchaeologist from California State University in Los Angeles.
Experts noticed that a child's pelvic bone had an incision. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated case. During the bloody Maya rituals, children were also sacrificed.
According to "LADbible," another piece of evidence supporting the experts' theory is the obsidian weapon found in the cave (made from obsidian, a hard, dark volcanic glass - ed.), as well as red ochre, a natural red pigment.
There are a few lines of evidence that we used to determine that this was more likely a ritual site than not – added Ellen Fricano, an anthropologist at Western University of Health Sciences in California, who was also involved in bone analysis.
According to scientists, parts of bodies were likely sacrificed to ancient gods to ask for rain during droughts.
