Archaeologists in Peru have found what they say is the site of the largest child sacrifice in the world. According to the Washington Post, about 140 children were slaughtered at the site in the mid 1400s.
The children all were killed in the same way. Their chests were slit open. This was done, researchers say, to remove their hearts.
Researchers have found a second site nearby that may contain as many sacrificial remains as the first. They also think they just found a third such site.
The Post helpfully points out that there was plenty of child sacrifice in “the ancient world.” But the 1400s aren’t so ancient. Say what you want about Western Civilization in that era (and since), child sacrifice wasn’t part of its playbook.
The Post quotes an archaeologist who explains that the sacrifice “was directed by a state level society,” namely the Chimu civilization, a powerful empire that would soon be conquered by the Incas (who also engaged in the ritual sacrifice of children). It’s not surprising that a powerful state would have directed the slaughter.
The Post’s article explains that children in the South America of that time were thought to have a different kind of “personhood” than what we understand today. I assume so. However, powerful states are more likely to translate such understandings into slaughter of its own people than are smaller units like tribes.
But why did the Chimu state decide to sacrifice children? Scientists claim it was a response to “extreme weather,” a “mega El Nino event.” The evidence? Lots of mud with adult and human footprints around the burial pits in an area that normally receives little rain.
Climate history has become a big deal. I have no opinion as to whether it deserves its expanded role in historical analysis or as to its reliability.
We should be able to agree, though, that the find in Peru counsels against extreme responses to outbreaks of extreme weather.
UPDATE: A reader comments:
Maybe like AOC’s done recently, the Chimus questioned whether they wanted to raise their kids in a such a world. Looks like they were progressives way ahead of their time!
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