Open AccessA mass sacrifice of children and camelids at the Huanchaquito-Las Llamas site, Moche Valley, Peru
Author(s) -
Gabriel Prieto,
John W. Verano,
Nicolás Goepfert,
Douglas J. Kennett,
Jeffrey Quilter,
Steven A. LeBlanc,
Lars FehrenSchmitz,
Jannine Forst,
Mellisa Lund,
Brittany L Dement,
Élise Dufour,
Olivier Tombret,
Melina Calmon Silva,
Davette Gadison,
Khrystyne E Tschinkel
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0211691
Subject(s) - sacrifice , radiocarbon dating , fifteenth , archaeology , cave , human sacrifice , geography , history , ancient history
Here we report the results of excavation and interdisciplinary study of the largest child and camelid sacrifice known from the New World. Stratigraphy, associated artifacts, and radiocarbon dating indicate that it was a single mass killing of more than 140 children and over 200 camelids directed by the Chimú state, c. AD 1450. Preliminary DNA analysis indicates that both boys and girls were chosen for sacrifice. Variability in forms of cranial modification (head shaping) and stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen suggest that the children were a heterogeneous sample drawn from multiple regions and ethnic groups throughout the Chimú state. The Huanchaquito-Las Llamas mass sacrifice opens a new window on a previously unknown sacrificial ritual from fifteenth century northern coastal Peru. While the motivation for such a massive sacrifice is a subject for further research, there is archaeological evidence that it was associated with a climatic event (heavy rainfall and flooding) that could have impacted the economic, political and ideological stability of one of the most powerful states in the New World during the fifteenth century A.D.