From building cities aligned with stars to purposefully crossing their babies’ eyes, the Mayan civilisation was known for its strange rituals.
And a new study has shed light on perhaps one of the weirdest rituals undertaken by the ancient civilisation – child sacrifices.
Researchers have discovered 42 obsidian ritual stones in the ancient Mayan city of Ceibal, Guatemala, some of which were found in the graves of child sacrifices.
The findings suggest that the precious rocks were thought to hold spiritual or ‘supernatural’ powers for Mayan people.
During their excavation, the researchers discovered obsidian stones in a grave containing two children aged two to four, who had been buried face-to-face, suggesting they had been sacrificed
Researchers from Ibaraki University in Japan discovered the stones while excavating the site in the north of Guatemala.
Ceibal was first investigated in the 1960s by archaeologists from Harvard University, but researchers have now returned to the site, equipped with more modern technologies.
During their excavation, the researchers discovered obsidian stones in a grave containing two children aged two to four, who had been buried face-to-face, suggesting they had been sacrificed.
They also found the precious stones placed at the points of a compass in the burial of a further five child sacrifices, who ranged in age from one to four.
Human sacrifice was a key part of Mayan culture.
The civilisation saw blood as a potent source of nourishment for Mayan gods, and sacrificing a human was seen as the ultimate offering to the deities.
Aside from graves, obsidian artefacts were also found in cross-shaped holes in the ground (caches), along the east-west axis of the main square in Ceibal
These were meant to ‘aid in the rebirth and renewal of the harvest and life cycles’, according to ThoughtCo.
Children were sometimes used as sacrificial victims.
Incas used children because they were seen as the purest beings, but that it’s unclear if this was the same for the Mayans.
The Mayans used a range of ways to kill the human sacrifice, but the most common method was decapitation and heart extraction.
Aside from graves, obsidian artefacts were also found in cross-shaped holes in the ground (caches), along the east-west axis of the main square in Ceibal.
In their study, published in the Journal of Field Archaeology, the researchers, led by Dr Kazuo Aoyama, wrote: ‘The inhabitants of Ceibal engaged in various kinds of craft production, including the manufacture of obsidian prismatic blades.
‘They also conducted public rituals in the Central Plaza, depositing exhausted polyhedral obsidian cores and other artefacts with symbolic significance in caches and as offerings in incipient elite burials and interments of sacrificed individuals.’
The researchers believe that these public rituals were important for creating collective identities and for processes of political negotiation within the community.
The researchers found the precious stones placed at the points of a compass in the burial of a further five child sacrifices, who ranged in age from one to four
Researchers have discovered 42 obsidian ritual stones in the ancient Mayan city of Ceibal, Guatemala, some of which were found in the graves of child sacrifices
The researchers believe that public rituals involving obsidian were important for creating collective identities and for processes of political negotiation within the community
They added: ‘Emerging elites likely came to play an increasingly important role in public rituals as principal performers and organisers, setting the stage for later public events centred on rulers.’
In May, the researchers discovered a treasure trove of jade artefacts in 18 cross-shaped holes in Ceibal.
The findings represent the largest single haul of the precious artefacts ever found dating back to the early Mayan era.
In May, the researchers discovered a treasure trove of jade artefacts in 18 cross-shaped holes in Ceibal. The findings represent the largest single haul of the precious artefacts ever found dating back to the early Mayan era
Researchers from Ibaraki University in Japan discovered the stones while excavating the ancient Mayan city of Ceibal in the north of Guatemala
The celts were found next to a large ceremonial structure in the central plaza in Ceibal, suggesting that they may have been used in ceremonies or rituals.
Using microscopes to look at the celts in further detail, the researchers found that the surface of the artefacts did not seem to have been worn down by fabrics, indicating that they weren’t worn as jewellery or ornaments.
The findings reinforce the idea that the sun was of extreme importance to the Mayans, as many of the celts were buried aligned with the points of the compass.