Archaeologists in Peru have found more than a dozen ancient tombs at a coastal ruin complex, including the remains of two children whose feet were cut off. Experts digging at Chotuna-Chornancap, in north Lima, discovered 17 graves dating to at least the 15th century.
This included the graves of six children placed side by side in pairs of shallow graves.
Two of them had their feet cut off in an apparent ceremonial sacrifice to become ‘guardians’ for others buried nearby.
The rest of the graves contained adult men and women who also had injuries on their bodies, suggesting they may have been sacrificed as well.
Haagen Klaus, a bioarchaeologist at George Mason University who has worked at Chotuna-Chornancap, told the Guardian: ‘It’s not unusual that sacrifices are made to those individuals, sometimes during the funeral or even years or generations afterward.
‘But we can see that a number of the individuals that were buried were children – and that does fit into the larger pattern of ritual sacrifice.’
Archaeologists also found one ‘high-status’ tomb in the middle of the sprawling complex – as it was discovered along with various offerings including two clay pots, a sculpture of a smiling man and a vessel carved into the shape of a coquero, a person who chewed coca leaves.
The temple complex was discovered in 2010 and so far, more than 50 sacrifice victims have been found at the site spanning hundreds of years and at least three civilisations.
Experts digging at the site have also found evidence that followers of Naylamp, the mythical founder of Sican society who according to legend emerged from the sea and became a god, may have existed in reality.
Naylamp built palaces and temples and when he died, his servants entombed him in secret to ensure his legend.
Researchers doubted he or his people existed but the ruins of the temple suggest the acolytes were in fact real people.
UM– USEKE.RW
