Pictures: Human-Sacrifice Chamber Discovered in Peru

Sacrificial Altar

Photograph courtesy National Archaeological Museum of Brüning, Peru

Faint remains of a mural linger above the main altar in the newfound chamber, where the sacrificial rite is believed to have been carried out near the present-day town of Illimo, Peru (map).

"The ceremony, known as the presentation, was a ritual where naked and rope-bound prisoners were subjected to a ritual sacrifice," said Wester, who is also director of the Heinrich Brüning National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography in the nearby city of Lambayeque (map).

As the prisoners—most likely apprehended during battle—were cut, priests and priestesses caught the spilling blood in cups, which were offered to the gods, he said.

"The prisoners of war were sacrificed to please the gods as a way to maintain social, political, and economic stability in the village," Wester said.

(Also see "Ancient Peru Torture Deaths: Sacrifices or War Crimes?")

Published July 30, 2010

Sacrificed But Not "Presented"

Photograph courtesy National Archaeological Museum of Brüning, Peru

Facing eternity with a ceramic vase and bundled offerings, a woman's remains lie crumpled within the Moche sacrificial chamber revealed last week.

The woman was an offering to the site, not part of a "presentation" sacrifice ceremony, Wester said.

"We have not yet found any sacrificed individuals, because we have not yet excavated the cemeteries," he said. "Obviously, in due course, we will."

Published July 30, 2010

Chamber of Horrors

Photograph courtesy National Archaeological Museum of Brüning, Peru

More than a thousand years ago, prisoners of war, naked and bound, were marched down this ceremonial passage to their deaths at the Moche site of Huaca Bandera in Peru, archaeologists announced last week.

Lined with altars, the corridor leads to a ramp that accesses a pyramid in the distance. (Related: "Mysterious Pyramid Complex Discovered in Peru.")

Published July 30, 2010

Blood Priest

Photograph courtesy National Archaeological Museum of Brüning, Peru

Fragments from a mural recently found at Huaca Bandera depict el sacerdote—the priest—from a "presentation" sacrifice ceremony.

"The priest officiates the ceremony and sacrifices the prisoners at the side of the priestess and other partners," Wester said, "and then reaches out to the lord with the cup [of blood] to be drunk."

(See pictures from the tomb of the Moche "king of bling.")

Published July 30, 2010

No Place for a Child?

Photograph courtesy National Archaeological Museum of Brüning, Peru

Dating to the late Moche period, between the seventh and eighth centuries A.D., a ceramic vase found during the recent Huaca Bandera excavation represents a female with a child in her left arm.

Archaeologists who worked at the site are uncertain if the vessel was an offering or was part of the "presentation" human-sacrifice ceremony.

(Also see pictures of a "mythical" post-Moche temple found in Peru.)

Published July 30, 2010

The Healer

Photograph courtesy National Archaeological Museum of Brüning, Peru

A character known as the healer, carrying a San Pedro cactus—a staple of Andean traditional medicine—is depicted on this bottle from the eighth century A.D. found at the Huaca Bandera site.

"The healer is very common in the Moche era, where he is frequently depicted assisting sick people or attending the deliveries of babies," Wester said.

(More Moche news: "'Unexpected' Man Found Amid Ancient Priestesses' Tombs.")

Published July 30, 2010

Smiling Through

Photograph courtesy National Archaeological Museum of Brüning, Peru

This smiling pitcher dates to the late Moche period, when many ceremonies were held at Huaca Bandera, according to Wester.

Pitchers with faces on their necks are common among Moche artifacts, he said, and "must have been connected with the preparation of ceremonial drinks."

(Related pictures: "Mystery of the Tattooed Mummy.")

Published July 30, 2010