Among the elite members of an ancient culture, a ritual sacrifice involving close relatives was performed. This form of sacrifice was previously unknown to archaeologists.
In the new study, a team of researchers analyzed several burials associated with the pre-Hispanic Moche culture, which thrived between the 4th and 10th centuries along the northern coast of modern-day Peru.
The culture was characterized by intricate urban developments and a complex social hierarchy with important religious and political figures at the top.
Previous evidence has suggested that kinship was a crucial element in maintaining political power within Moche society.
The researchers examined the familial relationship between six individuals buried in a painted adobe temple resembling a pyramid.
The temple is known as Huaca Cao Viejo and is located at the El Brujo archaeological site in northern Peru’s Chicama Valley.
The individuals were discovered in 2005 and appeared to have been members of the Moche elite. They were laid to rest in four tombs around A.D. 500. Three of the tombs contained adult males with various grave goods.
One of the males was younger than the others and had a cord wrapped around his neck, indicating that he died by strangulation. In the Moche culture, strangulation was a common form of human sacrifice.
The fourth tomb was separated from the rest. It held the well-preserved remains of an adult female, who has been referred to as the Señora de Cao.
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She was adorned with over 20 layers of textiles and offerings, including gold crowns, nose jewelry, ceremonial spear-throwers, two large ceremonial clubs, and more.
There was a sacrificed juvenile female with a rope around her neck next to the remains of the Señora. The nature of the burial and its accompanying grave goods suggest that the Señora was a woman of high status.
The team also found that the six individuals were biologically related and were part of a family tree spanning at least four generations.
The female juvenile sacrificed with the Señora was likely her niece. At least one sibling, possibly two, and a grandparent lay in the tombs nearby.
Furthermore, one of the male siblings was buried with his sacrificed son. Isotopic analysis revealed that most of the individuals ate maize and marine animal protein.
They probably spent their childhoods in or around the Chicama Valley. However, the sacrificed female juvenile had a different diet and grew up elsewhere.
Overall, it was determined that the Moche elite were interred with family members, including those who were raised far from their parental homes.
“This supports the hypothesis that kinship was central to transmitting status and authority. Moreover, sacrificing family members to accompany deceased elites underscores the significance of ritual sacrifice in reinforcing familial ties and linking the deceased to both ancestors and the divine,” wrote the researchers.
The study was published in the journal PNAS.