Ancient Maya didn’t sacrifice virgin girls
March 6, 2008
The ancient Mayans didn’t sacrifice girls, they sacrificed boys, according to expert researchers.
Archaeologist Guillermo de Anda from the University of Yucatan pieced together the bones of 127 bodies discovered at the bottom of one of Chichen Itza’s sacred caves and found more than 80 per cent were likely boys between the ages of 3 and 11.
…Archaeologists previously believed young female virgins were sacrificed because the remains, which span from around 850 AD until the Spanish colonisation, were often found adorned with jade jewellery. It was difficult to determine the sex of skeletons before they were fully matured, said Mr de Anda, but he believed cultural evidence from Mayan mythology would suggest the young victims were actually male.
It is not explicitly mentioned, but perhaps the jewelry was a red-herring that created a false gender bias?
Comments
2012 News Subscription
We let you know when there is a new 2012 story!
