“Skeletons of 20 sacrificial victims discovered beneath Maya pyramid.”
The discovery of the decapitated skeletons of 20 young men at a Mayan pyramid in southern Mexico suggests that the structure was a memorial site. The victims, who were sacrificial offerings, were buried in two separate clusters about 1,200 years ago. The remains reveal that the pyramid was likely used for worship of Mayan gods over many centuries. The researchers from the Mexican Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) believe that the victims, who were unlucky enough to lose their heads, were sacrificed as offerings to the pyramid and to reinforce its connection with the underworld.
The pyramid, known as Structure 18, is located in the archaeological site of Moral-Reforma on the Yucatan peninsula. It was built in stages, requiring human sacrifices to commemorate each stage of completion. Thus, the two mass executions were associated with important events in the construction of the pyramid.
The first stage occurred during the Late Preclassic period, from 300 BC to 250 BC. Although the researchers cannot determine the exact date of the skeletons, the presence of 567 votive objects, such as beaded jewelry, spearheads, and bone needles, allowed them to date the remains to this time period.
The older cluster of 12 skeletons was found in seven separate tombs, and some of the individuals appeared to have been buried in a seated position, while others were reburied after being interred elsewhere. As a result, many of the bones are not in their original locations. The second cluster of 13 tombs dates from the Late Classic period, from 600 to 900 AD. Eight of the individuals in this cluster were decapitated and buried separately to be offered to the pyramid.
Both clusters of tombs contained the remains of young adult males who showed signs of head shaping, a process known as cranial deformation that was common in Mayan society before the Columbian era. In addition, two individuals had modified teeth, possibly by grinding and inlaying jade. The researchers’ conclusions are still preliminary, as excavations at Moral-Reforma are ongoing.
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