Archeologists found that the victims of human sacrifice by
Mexico's ancient Mayans were likely boys and young men not virgin
girls as previously believed, media reported Thursday.
Archeologist Guillermo de Anda from the University of Yucatan of
Mexico pieced together the bones of 127 bodies discovered at the
bottom of one of Chichen Itza's sacred caves and found over 80
percent were likely boys between the ages of?three and 11.
The other 20 percent were mostly adult men said de Anda, who
scuba dives to uncover Mayan jewels and bones.
He said children were often thrown alive to their watery graves
to please the Mayan rain god Chaac. Some of the children were
ritually skinned or dismembered before being offered to the gods,
he said.
"It was thought that the gods preferred small things and
especially the rain god had four helpers that were represented as
tiny people," said de Anda. "So the children were offered as a way
to directly communicate with Chaac."
Archeologists previously believed young female virgins were
sacrificed because the remains, which span from around 850 AD until
the Spanish colonization, were often found adorned with jade
jewelry.
It is difficult to determine the sex of skeletons before they
are fully matured, said de Anda, but he believes cultural evidence
from Mayan mythology would suggest the young victims were actually
male.
(Agencies via Xinhua January 25, 2008)?