Archaeologists in Peru have found what is believed to be the site of the largest-ever mass child sacrifice in history, with 227 bodies unearthed from a site in a beachside tourist town called Huanchaco.
Located just over seven kilometres from the city of Trujillo, the site was used by the pre-Columbian Chimú civilisation which reigned between the 12th and 15th century AD. Speaking to AFP, head archaeologist Feren Castillo said, “This is the biggest site where the remains of sacrificed children have been found.”
The site has been under excavation since 2018, when 140 skeletons were found n April at Huanchaquito, a few kilometres away from Huanchaco. This was then followed a few months later by the discovery of 56 more skeletons in the Pampa la Cruz neighbourhood nearby.
Archaeologists believe that the sacrifices were made to appease against the El Nino phenomenon, as the bodies were found facing the sea and their killings were estimated to have taken place during the wet season.
At Huanchaquito, 200 llamas were also found buried. The llamas were buried facing East towards the Andes while the children were all buried facing West. According to the PLOS One study published in March, the sacrifices are believed to have taken place around AD 1450.
Quoted in Forbes, the archaeologist Gabriel Prieto from the National University of Trujillo said that the children found in the previous excavation had all had their hearts cut out of them.
