“Ancient Sacrifice: Unearthing the Dark Rituals Behind a Pregnant Woman’s Mysterious Death in Pre-Columbian Ecuador”
Archaeologists Uncover Evidence Of A Shocking Human Sacrifice
Sara Juengst/UNC CharlotteArchaeologists found valuable items in the woman’s grave, such as crescent-shaped mollusk shells and obsidian blades.
During recent excavations in Ecuador, archaeologists uncovered six burials dating back to the region’s Manteño period between 771 and 953 C.E. One of the graves, Burial 10, contained the remains of a young woman who was between 17 and 20 when she died. She was surrounded by artifacts like mollusk-shell ornaments and obsidian.
Most remarkably, archaeologists discovered that the woman was seven to nine months pregnant at the time of her death and that she had suffered a brutal attack. Analysis of her remains showed that she was bludgeoned to death, and her left leg and hands were removed before she was buried.
Alongside the grave goods, researchers found the skull of another adult human and burnt offerings that may have been placed on the woman’s remains centuries after her death.
Now, scientists are seeking answers about why a pregnant woman who was seemingly a wealthy or high-status member of Ecuadorian society was killed so viciously.
Why Was This Pregnant Woman Ritually Sacrificed?
Ymblanter/Wikimedia CommonsA small figurine made during the Manteño period.
According to a recent study published in the journal Latin American Antiquity, human sacrifices weren’t common during the Manteño period.
“Evidence for human sacrifice in coastal Ecuador is rare but not entirely absent. European chroniclers mentioned that human sacrifice occurred when a local leader died or to ask favors from local deities. Burial 10 may have been sacrificed as part of similar rites,” the researchers wrote.
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