Ancient Peruvian ritual revealed: Family sacrifices uncovered
Researchers in Peru have made a terrifying discovery. According to their findings, an ancient culture practiced a religious ritual that involved sacrificing family members. These "ritual victims" were typically teenage children.
National Geographic, citing information from the American journal of the National Academy of Sciences, describes this brutal ritual uncovered by researchers. It involved the sacrifice of family members.
Similar stories concerning ancient peoples in South America are familiar to historians and archaeologists. National Geographic reminds us that in 1487, during a four-day ceremony honoring the god Huitzilopochtli, the Aztecs executed tens of thousands of prisoners.
Were family members sacrificed? Shocking findings of researchers in Peru
Recently, an equally shocking story has come to light. Researchers’ analyses suggest that the Moche culture, which developed on the northern coast of Peru between 100 and 800 AD, engaged in human sacrifice practices. In 2005, the remains of six individuals were discovered in a tomb—one woman, three men, and two teenagers. Initially, it seemed these individuals were not related, but the latest reports indicate they were family.
One aspect is particularly shocking: the teenagers were suffocated. Researchers believe that one was sacrificed to his own father. According to Professor Fehren-Schmitz, who spoke with Live Science, suffocation was considered a "private and dignified" form of sacrifice, reserved for those of higher social or spiritual status.
National Geographic reminds us that there were also cultures in Europe that practiced human sacrifice. This includes the Celtic culture. The Historical Curiosities portal once described a discovery from 1959 near Płock, where a pagan shrine was found. There were unconfirmed reports of human sacrifices. Archaeologist Włodzimierz Szafrański hypothesized that a blacksmith sacrificed a 12-year-old girl to a deity. Later researchers approached these findings with skepticism.
