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Frozen Remains of Extinct Lion Found in Russia</s>Arqueólogos cuentan con evidencias en La Libertad de lo que se trataría del sacrificio masivo de niños más grande de América, "y probablemente de la historia mundial", según informó hoy una publicación de National Geographic.

El equipo interdisciplinario internacional, que contó con el financiamiento de National Geographic Society, estuvo liderado por el arqueólogo peruano Gabriel Prieto (Universidad Nacional de Trujillo) y John Verano (Tulane University). Las investigaciones de este grupo de National Geographic siguen en curso.

Durante las indagaciones, ellos encontraron los restos de más de 140 niños y 200 llamas jóvenes, que parecen haber sido sacrificados en el marco de un ritual que ocurrió hace unos 550 años en la entonces capital del Imperio Chimú, antes de que fueran conquistados por los Incas.

El artículo de la revista especializada precisa que si bien hay vestigios de sacrificios humanos en lo que fueron las civilizaciones aztecas, mayas e incas, "el descubrimiento de un evento de sacrificios de niños a gran escala en la poco conocida civilización precolombina Chimú es un hallazgo sin precedentes en América, sino en todo el mundo", indican.

En palabras de Verano, antropólogo físico que ha trabajado en la región durante más de tres décadas, "no lo esperaba y creo que nadie más se lo podría haber imaginado".

Los investigadores enviarán un informe con los resultados científicos del descubrimiento a una publicación científica revisada por sus colegas.

-Los inicios del hallazgo-



El sitio donde se encontraron estos restos humanos y de animales es Huanchaquito-Las Llamas, en el distrito de Huanchaco (Trujillo) y a menos de un kilómetro de la ciudadela de Chan Chan.

En el lugar, conocido solo como Las Llamas, se hallaron en el año 2011 los restos de 42 niños y 76 llamas durante una excavación de emergencia dirigida también por Prieto: los lugareños habían alertado de la presencia de restos humanos.

"Para cuando finalizaron las excavaciones en Las Llamas en 2016, se habían descubierto en el sitio más de 140 restos de niños y 200 llamas jóvenes. Por medio de datación con radiocarbono, se determinó que las sogas y los productos textiles que se encontraron en las tumbas se remontaban a una época que podría estar entre el 1400 y el 1450", detalla la publicación difundida hoy.

(Video: El Comercio)

-Características de lo hallado-



De acuerdo con los investigadores, los esqueletos de los niños y los animales muestran evidencias de cortes en el esternón, así como dislocaciones de las costillas, "lo que sugiere que el pecho de las víctimas se abrió y se separó, quizás para facilitar la extracción del corazón", detalla.

También se encontraron cerca de los restos de los niños, los de tres adultos -un hombre y dos mujeres- con signos de traumatismo en la cabeza. La ausencia de objetos en las tumbas de los cuerpos adultos, han llevado a los investigadores a "sospechar que podrían haber tenido un rol en el evento de los sacrificios y se les dio muerte poco después", se dice en la publicación.

"Los 140 niños sacrificados tenían edades que iban desde los 5 hasta los 14 años; y la mayoría tenía entre 8 y 12 años. En mayor medida, fueron sepultados mirando hacia el oeste, hacia el mar. Las llamas tenían menos de 18 meses de edad y por lo general se enterraron mirando hacia el este, hacia los altos picos de los Andes", detallan.

Tanto los humanos como animales habrían sido sacrificados en un mismo evento. También se hallaron huellas de sandalias de adultos, perros, niños descalzos y llamas jóvenes preservadas en la capa de lodo.

"Un análisis de sus huellas también puede permitir a los arqueólogos reconstruir la procesión ritual. Aparentemente, se guió a un grupo de niños y llamas al sitio, desde los extremos norte y sur del acantilado, reuniéndolos en el centro del lugar, donde se los habría sacrificado y enterrado. Los cuerpos de algunos niños y animales simplemente se dejaron en el lodo húmedo", se explica.

“Se trata de un sacrificio en forma de ritual, y es muy sistemático”, asegura el arqueólogo Verano.

-¿Qué motivó que se realice este ritual de sacrificio?-



De acuerdo con la publicación de National Geographic, la capa de lodo que se encontró durante las excavaciones puede proporcionar una pista, según los investigadores. Ellos sugirieron que fue el resultado de lluvias e inundaciones intensas en la costa y, probablemente, asociadas a un evento climático relacionado con El Niño.

"Las temperaturas marinas elevadas características de El Niño, probablemente alteraron la pesca marina en el área, mientras que las inundaciones costeras podrían haber desbordado la extensa infraestructura de canales de agricultura de los chimú. Estos, sucumbieron a los incas solo décadas después de los sacrificios en Las Llamas", dice el estudio de National Geographic.

De acuerdo con Haagen Klaus, profesor de antropología en la George Mason University y miembro del proyecto Las Llamas, sugiere que las sociedades a lo largo de la costa del norte de Perú pueden haber recurrido al sacrificio de los niños cuando el de adultos no fue suficiente para ahuyentar lo causado por El Niño.

-Próximos estudios-



Según se informó, el equipo científico que investiga el sacrificio en Las Llamas ahora deberá descubrir las historias de las víctimas: quiénes eran y de dónde.

"Aunque es difícil determinar el sexo de acuerdo con los restos esqueléticos de tan corta edad, los análisis preliminares de ADN indican que tanto los niños como las niñas eran víctimas, y el análisis isotópico indica que no todos provenían de poblaciones locales, sino que probablemente eran de diferentes grupos étnicos y regiones del Imperio Chimú", dice National Geographic.

El equipo de investigación ha encontrado evidencias arqueológicas alrededor de Huanchaco en sitios contemporáneos similares de sacrificios de niños y llamas. Estas investigaciones siguen en curso con el apoyo de National Geographic Society.

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</s>Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of more than 140 children in the northern coast of Peru in what appears to have been the largest instance of mass child sacrifice in the Americas - if not the entire world, according to an exclusive report from National Geographic.

The macabre discovery was made on a low bluff just a thousand feet from the Pacific Ocean, amid cinder block residential compounds in La Libertad outside Trujillo, Peru's third-largest city. It's estimated that the children - and 200 young llamas - were sacrificed about 550 years ago, when the area was home to the pre-Columbian Chimú civilization. The Chimú was the second-largest empire in Peru before Spanish colonization, next to the Incas, who were also known to sacrifice children during rituals.

Until now, the largest incident of mass child sacrifice was believed to have occurred in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán - modern-day Mexico City - where 42 children's bodies had been discovered.

Ongoing scientific investigations into the Peru site, formally called Huanchaquito-Las Llamas, are being carried out by an international team funded by the National Geographic Society. The team is led by Gabriel Prieto of the Universidad Nacional de Trujillo and John Verano of Tulane University.

"I, for one, never expected it," Verano told the magazine about the magnitude of the discovery.

"And I don't think anyone else would have, either," he added.

Excavations at Huanchaquito-Las Llamas began in 2011, when the remains of 42 children and 76 llamas were found at a 3,500-year-old temple nearby. The excavations continued through 2016, and resulted in the discovery of more than 140 sets of child remains and 200 juvenile llamas, according to National Geographic. Items found in the burials, such as ropes, are radiocarbon dated to between 1400 and 1450, toward the end of the Chimú Empire's rule, before they were conquered by the Incas.

It's estimated that the children ranged from about 5 to 14 years old, with the majority between the ages of 8 and 12, according to the magazine. The llamas were all less than 18 months old and were buried facing east, toward the Andes.

The children's skulls are stained with red, cinnabar-based pigment, evidence that they were sacrificed in ritual killings, as the pigment was used in ceremonies. Cuts to both the children and llamas' skeletal remains - particularly to the sternum and rib bone - suggest their chests were cut open, likely so that their hearts could be removed, according to National Geographic.

Researchers and anthropologists are now trying to understand the motivation behind the large-scale sacrifice, and why the burial pits combined children with baby llamas.

"When people hear about what happened and the scale of it, the first thing they always ask is 'why?' " Prieto told National Geographic.</s>Archaeologists in Peru may have found the site of the largest single mass child sacrifice in world history.

Archaeologists unearthed the remains of more than 140 children and 200 young llamas from what appeared to have been a ritual sacrifice that took place 550 years ago on a bluff along the northern coast, National Geographic reported Thursday.

“I, for one, never expected it,” says John Verano, a physical anthropologist who has several decades’ worth of experience in the region. “And I don’t think anyone else would have, either.”

The archaeological site, formally known as “Huanchaquito-Las Llamas,” is located less than half a mile from the UNESCO World Heritage site of Chan Chan.

At the time of the supposed sacrifice, the area was under the little-known Chimú Empire. By the end of the century, the Chimú Empire had fallen under the rule of the more well-known Incan Empire.

The site was first brought to the attention by excavators in 2011, when locals discovered eroded human remains in the area. At that time, the remains of only 42 children and 76 llamas were found.

By 2016, the remains of 140 children and 200 young llamas had been discovered at the site. Radiocarbon dating pinpointed the date of the supposed sacrifice between 1400 and 1450.

The condition of the remains suggests the children had incurred cuts to the sternum and rib dislocations for the removal of their hearts.

The children, both boys and girls, ranged from five to fourteen-years-old, evidence shows. Based on the layers of mud at the site, archeologists believe the sacrificial ritual was a single event.

Investigations of the site are ongoing with funding supported by the National Geographic Society.</s>Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of more than 140 children in the northern coast of Peru in what appears to have been the largest instance of mass child sacrifice in the Americas - if not the entire world, according to a report from National Geographic .

The macabre discovery was made on a low bluff just a thousand feet from the Pacific Ocean, amid cinder block residential compounds in La Libertad outside Trujillo, Peru's third-largest city. It's estimated that the children - and 200 young llamas - were sacrificed about 550 years ago, when the area was home to the pre-Columbian Chimú civilization. The Chimú was the second-largest empire in Peru before Spanish colonisation, next to the Incas, who were also known to sacrifice children during rituals.

Until now, the largest incident of mass child sacrifice was believed to have occurred in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán - modern-day Mexico City - where 42 children's bodies had been discovered.

Ongoing scientific investigations into the Peru site, formally called Huanchaquito-Las Llamas, are being carried out by an international team funded by the National Geographic Society. The team is led by Gabriel Prieto of the Universidad Nacional de Trujillo and John Verano of Tulane University.

"I, for one, never expected it," Verano told the magazine about the magnitude of the discovery.</s>More than 140 children were ritually slaughtered in Peru more than 500 years ago, reported National Geographic.

Described as “the largest single incidence of mass child sacrifice in the Americas — and likely world history —” the remains suggest that many of the boys and girls had had their chests opened and their hearts removed.

Radiocarbon dating pinpointed the date of the supposed sacrifice between 1400 and 1450. Archeologists were shocked and unsettled by the finds.

“I, for one, never expected it,” John Verano, a physical anthropologist with decades of experience in the region, told National Geographic. “And I don’t think anyone else would have, either.”

The site of the mass grave, where remains of 200 young llamas were also found, used to be known as “Huanchaquito-Las Llamas.” It is located less than half a mile from the UNESCO World Heritage site of Chan Chan.

The area has been studied since 2011, when remains of 42 children and 76 llamas were unearthed. Since then, the body counts have risen.</s>Archaeologists uncovered the remains of more than 140 children and 200 young llamas in a 550-year-old grave near Trujillo, Peru.

An archaeological dig in Peru that has been going on since 2011 may have unearthed the largest, single mass child sacrifice in the history of humanity, National Geographic reports.

The excavation, conducted in 2016, revealed the remains of more than 140 children and 200 young llamas that had been sacrificed around A.D. 1450 near the capital of the Chimu Empire, an area that is now the city of Trujillo on Peru’s northern coast.

This is by far the largest child sacrificial burial site ever uncovered in the Americas, and quite possibly the entire world, revealed archaeologists from the Universidad Nacional de Trujillo and Tulane University, Louisiana.

The 140 sacrificed children were 5 to 14 years old at the time of the ritualistic human sacrifice that cut their lives short. Most of them were aged 8 to 12, disclosed the archaeologists, who note that the children were mostly buried facing west, towards the sea. At the same time, the young llamas, less than 18 months old at the time of the sacrifice, were interred facing the opposite direction, towards the Andes.

All the skeletons showed signs of cuts to the sternum and rib dislocation, which points to the ancient sacrificial practice of heart removal, performed by cutting open the victims’ chests.

Although human sacrifices were regularly practiced by the Aztec, Maya, and Inca civilizations, the pre-Columbian Chimu civilization — of which not much is known, notes National Geographic — yielded no previous evidence of such a large-scale child sacrifice event.

The name of the archaeological site, “Huanchaquito-Las Llamas,” is already well-known from a previous discovery of child and llama remains in 2011, notes Fox News.

At the time, archaeologists uncovered the skeletons of 42 children and 76 young llamas at the burial site. By 2016, the number of skeletons had grown, reaching the staggering figures recently revealed.

“I, for one, never expected it. And I don’t think anyone else would have, either,” physical anthropologist John Verano, from Tulane University Verano, said in a statement.

Verano is part of the international archaeological team that is still investigating the mass burial site and that plans to submit a scientific report on this bewildering discovery to a peer-reviewed, scientific journal.

The mass child grave lies less than half a mile from the Chan Chan Archaeological Zone, located on the remains of the Chimu Kingdom capital, Chan Chan, which now is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Aside from the astounding number of child and llama skeletons, the 7,500-square-foot site also yielded the remains of three adults, which had been less ceremoniously entombed and which experts believe may have been involved in the mass sacrifice. The three adult skeletons showed signs of blunt-force trauma to the head and were buried without any ceremonial objects.

In addition, archaeologists also discovered rope and textiles, which have been radiocarbon dated to between 1400 and 1450.</s>The skeletal remains of more than 140 children and 200 baby llamas were found on the country’s northern coast. It may be evidence of the largest child sacrifice in history, according to an exclusive report by National Geographic, released Thursday on its website. The remains of a man and two women were also found.

The sacrifices are believed to have taken place 550 years ago in the pre-Columbian Chimú Empire, in a sacrificial site formerly known as Huanchaquito-Las Llamas, close to a UNESCO World Heritage site of Chan Chan, in the modern town of Trujillo.

The children ranged in age from 5 to 14, according to the report. The baby llamas were less than 18 months old.

“Skeletal remains of both children and animals show evidence of cuts to the sternum as well as rib dislocations,” the report says.

The children had their faces smeared with a red cinnabar-based pigment, the report says, which took place during the ceremony before their chests were cut open, most likely to remove their hearts.

“The sacrificial llamas appear to have met the same fate,” the report states.

According to National Geographic, the children were “buried facing west, out to the sea.” The baby llamas were buried facing east, toward the high peaks of the Andes.

Based on evidence from layers of dried mud, the report states it’s believed that all the human and animal sacrifices took place at the same time. The three adults found had blunt-force trauma to the head and no grave, leading scientist to believe they, too, were part of the sacrifice.

The site where the children and baby llamas were found has been under excavation since 2011, when the site first made headlines after the discovery of 42 children and 76 llamas during an emergency dig.</s>Lima: Archaeologists in Peru have found evidence of the biggest-ever sacrifice of children, uncovering the remains of more than 140 youngsters who were slain alongside 200 llamas as part of a ritual offering some 550 years ago, National Geographic announced on Thursday.

The site was located on top of a cliff facing the Pacific Ocean in La Libertad, a northern region where the Chimu civilization arose, an ancient pre-Columbian people who worshipped the moon.

The cliff is located just outside the northwestern coastal city of Trujillo, Peru's third largest city which today has 8,00,000 inhabitants.

"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 Chimu civilization is unprecedented in the Americas — if not in the entire world," National Geographic said.

The investigations were carried out by an international team led by National Geographic's Peruvian explorer Gabriel Prieto, of the National University of Trujillo, and John Verano, a physical anthropologist from Tulane University in New Orleans.

The team uncovered evidence of "the largest single incident of mass child sacrifice in the Americas — and likely in world history."

"I, for one, never expected it," Verano told the magazine of the sacrifice site, known to the researchers as "Las Llamas."

"And I don't think anyone else would have, either," he added.

The excavations began in 2011 when the team uncovered the remains of 42 children and 76 llamas at a 3,500-year-old temple nearby.

By the time the excavations had finished five years later, they had uncovered more than 140 sets of child remains and 200 juvenile llamas, as well as rope and textiles dating to between 1,400 and 1,450.

Located about 300 meters above sea level, the site is in the middle of a cluster of residential compounds in Huanchaco, a neighbourhood bordering Trujillo.

"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 magazine said.

Researchers determined that the children were between the ages of five and 14, although most were between eight and 12 when they died, with their bodies buried facing west — out to sea.

The llamas were all less than 18 months and they were buried facing east, toward the Andes, they said.

"It is ritual killing, and it's very systematic," Verano said.

The Chimu civilization extended along the Peruvian coast to where Ecuador begins, with its empire brought down by the Incas in around 1475, just a few decades after the sacrifice at Las Llamas.

"Until now, the largest mass child sacrifice event for which we have physical evidence is the ritual murder and interment of 42 children at Templo Mayor in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan," National Geographic said, referring to what is modern-day Mexico City.</s>Largest mass child sacrifice event may be tied to El Nino Around 550 years ago, members of the Chimu empire, whose lands encompassed a stretch of desert coast in northern Peru, gathered more than 140 children and 200 baby llamas on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and slaughtered them all. The delay between the initial discovery and actual examination of the site was held up until the international, interdisciplinary team, led by Gabriel Prieto of the Universidad Nacional de Trujillo and John Verano of Tulane University, were able to get sufficient funding for. a proper excavation. During three years of careful excavation, the archaeologists found that over 140 children, between the ages of 5 and 14 years of age, along with 200 young llamas were ritually sacrificed and buried on a bluff overlooking Peru’s northern shoreline, in the shadow of what was then the capital city of Chan Chan, a large adobe city in the Moche Valley of present-day Trujillo, Peru. “There are no other examples of child sacrifices anywhere in the world that compares to the magnitude of this Chimú event,” Verano says. "I, for one, never expected it, and I don't think anyone else would have, either." Verano is a physical anthropologist who has worked in the region for more than three decades. Although the study has yet to be published, the researchers involved explained their work in a The Chimu Culture of Peru The size of the child sacrifice event dwarfs the ritual killings of 42 children previously uncovered in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, now Mexico City, points out National Geographic, and it must have been very gruesome. Based on examination of the skeletal remains of the children and animals, all had their chests cut open, possibly as a means of getting at the heart. Interestingly, three adult skeletons, that included two women were found on the bluff nearby. They had all apparently died of violent head wounds, and it is surmised they may have participated in the sacrifices. Radiocarbon dating of ropes left around many of the llama's necks dates the event to 1450 AD, about 20 years before the Chimu empire was conquered by the Incan empire. Chan Chan, the capial of the Chimu Empire in what is now Trujillo, Peru. The sacrificial site overlooking the ocean To understand a bit more about what happened 550 years ago, we have to go back in time to examine what we do know about the Chimu people. Their culture arose about 900 AD, and the region they claimed for their own while a desert area, had rivers that carved fertile valley plains which were flat and well-suited for irrigation. The Chimu also depended on the Pacific Ocean for shellfish and other marine creatures for food. So you could say their economy centered around agriculture and fishing. The Chimu worshipped the moon, which they believed was more powerful than the sun because it can be seen both at night and in the daytime. Ritual offerings were an important part of their religious beliefs. The most common object used for offerings was the shell of the Spondylus shellfish, which resides only in the warm coastal waters off present-day Ecuador. The Spondylus shellfish was associated with the sea, good crops, and the weather, and were so highly valued the Chimu people traded pottery and textiles for them. They were considered to play a key role in the economic and political dealing of the empire. That is not to say that sometimes birds or other animals, and even young children weren't sacrificed to the Moon. Families believed their child would become deified and they were usually sacrificed around the age of five. At the excavation site, the children were found to be facing west, toward the ocean, while the young llamas were facing east, toward the Andes Mountains. According to National Geographic, "The investigators believe all of the human and animal victims were ritually killed in a single event, based on evidence from a dried mud layer found in the eastern, least disturbed part of the 7,500-square-foot site." The team also believes the The damage caused by flash floods in Huachipa district, east of Lima, Peru on March 19, 2017 Why did this horrendous event happen? Human sacrifice has taken place in every corner of the world at one time or another in our history, although the mass sacrifice of children is very rare, actually almost unheard of to most scientists. Most societal models that look at human sacrifice, however, are based on the ritual killing of adults, says Joseph Watts, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. "I think it's definitely harder to explain child sacrifice," he says, then pauses. "Also, at a personal level." So this sacrificial event raises a big question - What could have motivated the Chimú to commit such an act? Archaeologists are unclear as to what was the reason these ancient people sacrificed Haagen Klaus, a professor of anthropology at George Mason University, who was not associated with the research, said the point of a sacrifice is to give up something of importance or value. He suggests that when adult sacrifices did not bring the desired outcome, out of desperation the people may have turned to their most precious belongings; their children. About 200 18-month old llamas were also sacrificed with the children. As for the llamas - Verano explained that these are an extremely important animal in both ancient and present cultures in Peru and Bolivia. “After humans, llamas were considered to be the most valuable offerings to the gods,” said Verano. Based on the layer of mud at the archaeological site, the scientists say this suggests the area was experiencing torrential rains related to El Nino at the time of the sacrifice between 1400 and 1450. Since elevated sea temperatures and coastal flooding linked to El Nino could've affected both fishing and agriculture, archaeologists suspect the Chimu got desperate. And the event was indeed a ritual sacrifice. The skulls—marked with a red ceremonial pigment, per the An accidental discovery of skeletal remains in 2011 on a site formerly known as Huanchaquito-Las Llamas was the precursor to an archaeological excavation that began in 2014.The delay between the initial discovery and actual examination of the site was held up until the international, interdisciplinary team, led by Gabriel Prieto of the Universidad Nacional de Trujillo and John Verano of Tulane University, were able to get sufficient funding for. a proper excavation.During three years of careful excavation, the archaeologists found that over 140 children, between the ages of 5 and 14 years of age, along with 200 young llamas were ritually sacrificed and buried on a bluff overlooking Peru’s northern shoreline, in the shadow of what was then the capital city of Chan Chan, a large adobe city in the Moche Valley of present-day Trujillo, Peru.“There are no other examples of child sacrifices anywhere in the world that compares to the magnitude of this Chimú event,” Verano says. "I, for one, never expected it, and I don't think anyone else would have, either." Verano is a physical anthropologist who has worked in the region for more than three decades.Although the study has yet to be published, the researchers involved explained their work in a National Geographic exclusive published on Thursday, April 26.The size of the child sacrifice event dwarfs the ritual killings of 42 children previously uncovered in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, now Mexico City, points out National Geographic, and it must have been very gruesome. Based on examination of the skeletal remains of the children and animals, all had their chests cut open, possibly as a means of getting at the heart.Interestingly, three adult skeletons, that included two women were found on the bluff nearby. They had all apparently died of violent head wounds, and it is surmised they may have participated in the sacrifices. Radiocarbon dating of ropes left around many of the llama's necks dates the event to 1450 AD, about 20 years before the Chimu empire was conquered by the Incan empire.To understand a bit more about what happened 550 years ago, we have to go back in time to examine what we do know about the Chimu people. Their culture arose about 900 AD, and the region they claimed for their own while a desert area, had rivers that carved fertile valley plains which were flat and well-suited for irrigation.The Chimu also depended on the Pacific Ocean for shellfish and other marine creatures for food. So you could say their economy centered around agriculture and fishing.The Chimu worshipped the moon, which they believed was more powerful than the sun because it can be seen both at night and in the daytime. Ritual offerings were an important part of their religious beliefs. The most common object used for offerings was the shell of the Spondylus shellfish, which resides only in the warm coastal waters off present-day Ecuador.The Spondylus shellfish was associated with the sea, good crops, and the weather, and were so highly valued the Chimu people traded pottery and textiles for them. They were considered to play a key role in the economic and political dealing of the empire.That is not to say that sometimes birds or other animals, and even young children weren't sacrificed to the Moon. Families believed their child would become deified and they were usually sacrificed around the age of five.At the excavation site, the children were found to be facing west, toward the ocean, while the young llamas were facing east, toward the Andes Mountains. According to National Geographic, "The investigators believe all of the human and animal victims were ritually killed in a single event, based on evidence from a dried mud layer found in the eastern, least disturbed part of the 7,500-square-foot site."The team also believes the mud layer once covered the entire sand dune and was disturbed when the site was being prepared for the burial of the victims. Adult footprints, children's and llama footprints have been documented showing that a group of children and llamas was led to the site from the north and the south edges of the bluff, meeting in the center of the site, where they would have been sacrificed and buried.Human sacrifice has taken place in every corner of the world at one time or another in our history, although the mass sacrifice of children is very rare, actually almost unheard of to most scientists.Most societal models that look at human sacrifice, however, are based on the ritual killing of adults, says Joseph Watts, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History."I think it's definitely harder to explain child sacrifice," he says, then pauses. "Also, at a personal level."So this sacrificial event raises a big question - What could have motivated the Chimú to commit such an act? Archaeologists are unclear as to what was the reason these ancient people sacrificed their most beloved possession - their children. And the young llamas? Being an agricultural economy that depended on llamas for meat and the wool they made their clothing with, suggests the animals were also highly valued.Haagen Klaus, a professor of anthropology at George Mason University, who was not associated with the research, said the point of a sacrifice is to give up something of importance or value. He suggests that when adult sacrifices did not bring the desired outcome, out of desperation the people may have turned to their most precious belongings; their children.As for the llamas - Verano explained that these are an extremely important animal in both ancient and present cultures in Peru and Bolivia. “After humans, llamas were considered to be the most valuable offerings to the gods,” said Verano.Based on the layer of mud at the archaeological site, the scientists say this suggests the area was experiencing torrential rains related to El Nino at the time of the sacrifice between 1400 and 1450. Since elevated sea temperatures and coastal flooding linked to El Nino could've affected both fishing and agriculture, archaeologists suspect the Chimu got desperate.And the event was indeed a ritual sacrifice. The skulls—marked with a red ceremonial pigment, per the Washington Post— indicate victims came from across Chimu's territory. We are left to wonder if extreme weather forced the Chimu to sacrifice their children to get it to stop.
Bone remains of more than 140 children and about 200 young llamas were found in the Peruvian city of Trujillo, near the Chan Chan citadel, according to a National Geographic publication. This discovery, which would date from the time of the little-known Chimú pre-Columbian civilization (about 550 years ago), would be, for researchers, the largest mass sacrifice of children in the American continent.