Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

September 5, 2008 11:37:23 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Mayans Sacrificed Boys—Not Virgin Girls

Posted Jan 23, 08 11:16 AM CST in World,  Arts & Living 

(Newser) – The human sacrifices offered up to the Mayan gods in Pre-Columbian Mexico were likely boys and young men, not virgin girls, Reuters reports. A Mexican archaeologist has ventured into the sacred sinkholes of Chichen Itza to recover bones from 127 bodies, and discovered that more than 80% of them came from pre-adolescent males between the ages of 3 and 11. The sacrificed children were hurled into the water-filled caverns, scientists believe.

The rest of the victims seem to have been adult men. The previously held assumption that the remains were from young females was fueled by jade jewelry found among the bones. The rituals are thought to have been performed by Mayan priests to appease the rain god Chaac. The god was believed to prefer "small things," in part because his four helpers "were represented as tiny people," said the archaeologist.

Source Reuters

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Expert Tunes Into Aztec 'Death Whistles'

    Jul 1, 08 6:45 AM CDT
    Expert Tunes Into Aztec 'Death Whistles' A Mexican engineer has worked for decades to bring the sounds of the Aztecs back to life, reports the AP. Roberto Velazquez has created replicas of the instruments found at many archaeological sites—including the eerie "Whistles of Death" discovered with a skeleton in an ancient temple—and experimented to re-create noises that may have been heard at ceremonies thousands of years ago. More »

  • New Findings Shatter Old Mayan Theories

    Jun 23, 08 6:59 PM CDT
    New Findings Shatter Old Mayan Theories Some experts want to drain Mayan history of its high drama—the sudden collapse, and desperate migration—to tell a longer, slower story, USA Today reports. Classic history claims that Mayan cities imploded quickly around 900 AD, and their people trekked north to colonize in the Yucatan—but experts now say that Mayans had already lived there for 1,000 years. More »

  • Pyramid Unearthed in Mexico City

    Dec 28, 07 10:58 AM CST
    Pyramid Unearthed in Mexico City Archaeologists have unearthed the ruins of an 800-year-old Aztec pyramid in the heart of modern Mexico City. The ruins, which are approximately 36 feet high, stand on the former site of Tlatelolco, a center of political and religious power and the twin city of Tenochtitlan. The discovery indicates that the ancient city might be more than a century older than previously believed, reports Reuters. More »

  • First Tomb of Aztec Ruler Found

    Aug 4, 07 6:45 AM CDT
    First Tomb of Aztec Ruler Found Mexican archaeologists believe their ground-penetrating radar has detected the first tomb of an Aztec ruler ever found, the AP reports. Workers in Mexico City, hanging from slings and digging delicately in a muddy underground passage, hope to uncover the remains of Emperor Ahuizotl, who ruled the Aztec empire at its height before the Spanish invasion of 1521. More »

A large iguana lounges at the Mayan pyramids located in the Mayan Riviera in the Xcaret ecological reserve in this Dec. 24, 2004 file photo. The Maya may not have sacrificed young girls, as previously...   (Associated Press)
A woman walks in front of the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza near the town of Valladolid, southern Mexico on Tuesday Feb. 27, 2007. The sinkhole caves that sacrificial offerings were thrown into have been...   (Associated Press)
The Mayan rain god Chaac, as depicted by an unknown scribe prior to 1500 in the Dresden Codex. The sacrifices found in Mayan sinkhole caves are thought to have been offered to Chaac.   (Dresden Codex (public domain))
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 2)

Tags

Mexico  • archaeology  • Chichen Itza  • Mayans


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular


Other Arts & Living Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »