While excavating Peruvian temples, archaeologists discovered more than 12 wreckages, two to three hundred years ago. Some of them provide evidence of human sacrifice.
Burials have some unusual features, archaeologists said.
“The way they were placed in the graves is strange,” Henry Tantalean, an archaeology professor at the National University of San Marcos, who leads the team, told Live Science in an email. They were placed “with his face on the ground, in an unusual burial pattern throughout the Andean prehistoric period.”
According to Tantaleán, some people had broken skulls, some had ropes around their necks and their hands were tied behind their backs. These findings suggest that individuals were sacrificed, he said, “They were not accompanied by any offerings or grave goods, but this is also unusual.”
The team discovered the burial near the Puemape Temple complex on Peru’s northwest coast in 2024, and excavation work continued in 2025. The temple dates about 3,000 years old, but the burial dates from later times to about 400-200 BC, and it is possible that the temple was abandoned before human sacrifices were made.
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“They would have been sacrifices dedicated to this ancient place of worship,” said Tantalean.
Related: Four rare Inca burials found at a “water cult” temple in Peru
However, archaeologists know little about who the victims were. “Perhaps they were people who lived in the same area, but we also have the hypothesis that they might come from the neighboring valley,” Tantalen said.
Skeleton analysis is ongoing, and the team will conduct research, including DNA testing, to learn about people’s identities. The team is also analyzing pottery, animals and plants found in the temple complex.
The team’s investigation was supported by the University of South Florida, along with a team led by archaeologist Charles Stanish.
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