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DNA uncovers surprising information about the children that the ancient Mayans sacrificed.
Known for being a place of human sacrifice, the ancient Mayans city of Chichén Itzá has captivated millions of tourists from all over the world. However, fresh evidence offers more hints about the identity of some of the young victims buried at the location in southeast Mexico, as well as those of their surviving relatives.
Genomes from the remains of dozens of children discovered in a mass burial site close to the Sacred Cenote, a large sinkhole in the ceremonial center of Chichén Itzá where other human sacrifices were previously discovered, were analyzed by researchers, who discovered that all of the individuals were male and that many of them were closely related, including two sets of identical twins. The significance of twins in ancient Mayan mythology is thought to have contributed to this practice.
The results refute the widely held notion that the bulk of individuals offered as sacrifices at the location were young women and girls.
In an interview, the research’s lead author, Rodrigo Barquera, described the findings as “a breakthrough.” In Mexico, Mesoamerica, or among the Maya societies, it was the first instance of an all-male child burial site, according to Barquera, a postdoctoral researcher at Leipzig, Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
The study, which was published this week in the journal Nature, examined a sample of the more than 100 child remains that were found in a cistern near the cenote between April and June 1967 when a new airport runway was being built. The researchers found that underground buildings were thought to be gates to the underworld, and that chimneys, or chultún, were traditionally connected to water, rain, and child sacrifice.
The investigators removed a certain bone from each skull to make sure no remains were tested more than once, but only 64 of the remains had this bone intact. The youngsters, half of whom were between the ages of three and six, perished over a period of 500 years, until the middle of the 12th century, the researchers determined using radiocarbon dating.
A near relative was discovered in the cistern for 25% of the remains examined by the scientists, in addition to the two sets of identical twins, “suggesting that the sacrificed children may have been specifically selected for their close biological kinship.”
Researchers think there may have been even more related children discovered at the site because not all of the remains could be analyzed.
It was also shown that the children who were closely related had eaten comparable meals. The results suggest that the children were chosen for sacrifice at the same ceremony because of this and the fact that their ages were comparable when they passed away.
The sacrifice of close kid relatives was connected by the scholars to a Popol Vuh, a sacred Mayan literature that described the sacrifice of twins who had lost a baseball game to the gods.
According to the story, one of the brothers’ own twin sons—known as the Hero Twins—went on to exact revenge on their murdered kin.
Christina Warinner, an anthropology professor at Harvard University and co-author of the paper, stated in a statement that “early 20th century accounts falsely popularized lurid tales of young women and girls being sacrificed at the site.” “This study, carried out in close international collaboration, reveals the profound connections between ritual sacrifice and the cycles of human death and rebirth described in sacred Maya texts, turning that story on its head.”
A.D. 600 saw the rise to prominence of the ancient city of Chichén Itzá, which is home to one of the greatest pyramids from the Mayan period.
The monument started to deteriorate in the fifteenth century, according to UNESCO, although scholars claim that Mayan pilgrims continued to frequent it well into the colonial era and beyond. In 1988, it received the UNESCO World Heritage designation.
Realizing the remains at the site belonged to “kids, and that they were sacrificed,” Barquera conceded, may be startling.
However, we must remember that Mesoamerican civilizations have a very distinct understanding of death. Death is not seen negatively. Naturally, from our point of view, that is incorrect. However, during the time, and based on their myths and beliefs, what they were doing was accepted as right, so we cannot evaluate what they did from the perspective of today.
He went on to say that Mayan rituals “were much more complex than just offering things to the gods because you need a favor or you need to ask for forgiveness” because of the burial site’s history and repeated use.
The investigation went beyond simply learning more about Chichén Itzá’s prehistoric past. The children whose remains were found in the cistern were likely taken from neighboring ancient Mayan communities, according to the study, which also compared the DNA from the skulls with blood samples obtained from 68 present-day residents of Tixcacaltuyub, a town approximately 25 miles from the ancient site.
According to Barquera, the Tixcacaltuyub locals were “really happy” to learn about their connection to the location and expressed confidence that the research would improve their ability to interact with visitors and start discussions on equality.
“It’s funny how you visit these archeological sites, you give credit to the people who built these incredible structures, and then you leave and treat Indigenous people badly,” he remarked.
“They now believe that this is a means of saying, ‘Look, we are the same, so why are you keeping us out of critical discussions, like health and education, if we are the same people?'” he continued.
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“They now believe that this is a means of saying, ‘Look, we are the same, so why are you keeping us out of critical discussions, like health and education, if we are the same people?'” he continued.
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DNA reveals surprise about the children ancient Mayans chose to sacrifice (msn.com)