An international team of experts conducted a new study that delved deep into the genetic material discovered at an ancient Mayan temple. The study revealed a disturbing pattern of sacrificing twin boys and other close relatives.
Archaeologists have been studying the city of Chichรฉn Itzรก, situated in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, for more than a century, as per the news release from the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, an autonomous association of German research institutes. The Max Planck Institutes had several researchers involved in the new study. According to the statement announcing the findings, the city is renowned for its vast evidence of ritual killing.
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According to a news release, physical remains of sacrificial victims have been discovered by archaeologists in the past. In addition, the dredging of the Sacred Cenote, a significant sinkhole located in the city, has unveiled the remains of hundreds of individuals who were sacrificed.
According to a recent study, previous beliefs that sacrifices conducted at and around the cenote focused primarily on girls and young women have been debunked. The team behind the study conducted a thorough genetic investigation of 64 sets of remains and found that all of the remains belonged to male children. This discovery sheds new light on the practices and beliefs of the ancient Maya civilization.
According to a news release, the boys chosen for the ritual activities had been carefully selected from nearby communities, with a significant number of them being closely related to one another. It was discovered that many of these boys had consumed similar types of food, indicating that they may have lived together under the same roof. All these details lead to the conclusion that related boys were handpicked in pairs for these mysterious ritual activities.
According to the news release, the remains discovered have been dated back to the period between the 7th and 12th century, indicating that the ritualistic sacrifices were performed consistently for over 500 years. It was also noted that a majority of the children were interred in the burial site during a span of 200 years.
According to Oana Del Castillo-Chรกvez, a co-author of the study and a researcher in the Physical Anthropology Section at the Centro INAH Yucatรกn, the male children who were buried in the chultรบn more than 200 years ago had similar ages and diets. Their close genetic relatedness and the fact that they were buried in the same location suggest that the chultรบn served as a burial site after sacrificial rituals, where the sacrificed individuals were carefully chosen for a specific purpose, as stated in the news release.
According to the news release, researchers have identified two sets of identical twins among the remains. In ancient Maya culture, twins were held in high regard as they held a significant place in their origin stories and spiritual beliefs. The Popol Vuh, a sacred text, features twin sacrifice. In this text, twin boys descend into the underworld and are sacrificed by the gods. Another pair of twins, known as the “Hero Twins,” later avenged them. The “Hero Twins” are widely represented in Classic Maya art to commemorate their heroic deeds.
In a recent news release, Christina Warinner, a distinguished associate professor of social sciences and anthropology at Harvard University and a group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, expressed her hope that the latest research will provide a fresh perspective on the nature and significance of ritual sacrifice in the Mayan civilization.
According to the news release, there were false accounts in the early 20th century that sensationalized stories about young women and girls being sacrificed at the site. However, the recent study, which was conducted through a close international collaboration, contradicts that narrative and sheds light on the profound links between ritual sacrifice and the cycles of human death and rebirth that are depicted in the sacred Maya texts, as stated by Warinner.
