Largest Mass Child Sacrifice in The World Unearthed In Peru
AFPResearchers believe the mass sacrifice was a ritualistic offering to the Chimú’s moon god, in order to ward off El Niño-related weather.
In August 2019, archaeologists in Peru uncovered the largest mass child sacrifice in recorded history. The site, found north of Lima in the coastal town of Huanchaco, contained the remains of a whopping 227 victims.
Every single victim was between five and 14 years old. It’s believed that their last breaths were taken more than 500 years ago, with some of the remains remarkably still having hair and skin intact.
Researchers theorized that these victims died as offerings to the gods worshiped by the Chimú people of the region. One of the strongest and most independent groups at the time, the Chimú peaked between 1200 and 1400 A.D. before the Incas conquered them and the Spanish subsequently conquered the Incas. It was the Chimú who constructed Chan Chan — the largest pre-Columbian city in South America.
The civilization worshiped Shi, a moon god they believed was more powerful than the Sun, and human sacrifices were common offerings to Shi. The researchers who uncovered the sacrifice also found the remains of 40 warriors, further illuminating the culture of the Chimú.
“This is the biggest site where the remains of sacrificed children have been found,” said lead archaeologist Feren Castillo. “It’s uncontrollable, this thing with the children. Wherever you dig, there’s another one.”
For biological anthropologist John Verano, the discovery was just another reminder of how vital archaeology is to our understanding of the past.
“Until now, we had no idea that the Chimú did anything like that,” he told National Geographic. “It’s the luck of archaeology.”
