The graves of sacrificed children

There are 76 children’s tombs. Where are they? In the Pampa La Cruz archaeological zone. It belongs to the Peruvian province of Trujillo. Archaeologists found the tombs of sacrificed children there.

This area was used as a ceremonial center by the Chimú culture. They would have made several human sacrifices between 1050 and 1500. The program director is Gabriel Prieto. He explained that the sacrifices are associated with the period of the beginning and development of the Chimú kingdom. It was one of the most prosperous of the pre-Columbian America that settled in the Peruvian coasts.

Tombs of sacrificed children appeared in the northern zone of Peru.
Graves of sacrificed children appeared in the northern zone of Peru.

Women in circle

“Human sacrifices, especially of children, were a structural part within the Chimu religion. They did it to celebrate and glorify their state. The six events that we have documented are proof of this”. This is what the researcher from the University of Florida stated.

The 76 graves were found between July and August of this year in two different mounds. One had 25 graves and the other 51. In total, the remains of 302 minors were located.

Among the particularities highlighted by the researchers are five bodies of seated women. Their heads come together to make a kind of circle. Ninety percent of the children orient their feet were toward the east and their heads toward the west. It is a usual pattern.

“There is an aerial photo from 1942. It shows that mound two is surrounded by crop fields and chimu canals. Because of modern advancement they have disappeared. The sacrifice here consecrated the cultivated fields of that time”, pointed out Gabriel Prieto.

Excavations uncovered more details of the burial.
Excavations uncovered more details of the burial.

Earlier tradition

The graves of sacrificed children were placed there for some specific reason. There are some theories. It is in front of the sea with a privileged view of Campana hill, important in Chimú mythology. Another hypothesis is that the site was already used by the Moche society, ancestors of the Chimus.

“Moche burials obey people between 40 and 45 years of age. But there was already a tradition in that sense in the area,” Prieto explained.

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