Archaeologists unearth 56 skeletons of children sacrificed in ritual

A tragic discovery has been made in Peru where archaeologists have unearthed skeletons of 56 children that were believed to be sacrificed 600 years ago.

Skeletons of 56 children, who are believed to be sacrificed by the ancient Chimu civilization as a part of a ritual, have been found in Huanchaco district in Peru. The children were unearthed alongside remains of 30 young llamas that are believed to be killed as a part of a ritual.

The ritual, as explained by Daily Mail, was to stave of devastating rains and flooding caused by a huge El Niño event that devastated the region around 600 years ago. This sacrifice location was found near another site called Huanchaquito, where evidence of the biggest-ever sacrifice of children was found early this year, in which over 140 children were killed.

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A total of 30 skeletons were initially found in a 2,000sq ft area, whereas the other 26 were found in a neighboring grave. The children were aged between six and 14 years old and were buried around between AD 1,200 and 1,400. However, the exact cause of death, the gender, or the social class of the children is yet been figured out and further investigation will be needed to determine these things.

“There is no evidence of sick children, they were in good health, which suggests that they were middle or high class, however, no artifacts, offerings or necklaces that indicate social differentiation were found,” said project researcher John Verano.

The bodies found were wrapped in cloth and faced the sea that showed the bodies were prepared before death, probably as a part of the ritual. “The evidence indicates that they are sacrifices,” said Verano.

Deccan Chronicle wrote, archaeologist Gabriel Prieto exclaimed, “The interesting thing is that they were sacrificed with a cut in the sternum and display opened ribs like in Huanchaquito, which reinforces the idea that Huanchaco was a place where massive sacrifices of children were made during the Chimu culture.”