Children were sacrificed in THIS Mayan temple. DNA analyses reveal all

An in-depth analysis of the genetic material found at an ancient Mayan temple has made startling revelations. After the city of Chichen Itza, built on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, was investigated by archaeologists for over 100 years, it has been found that children were sacrificed in the temple of that time, reports the 'New York Times'. Besides, it was also found that ancient DNA extracted from the children offered new insights into the religious rituals of the ancient Maya and their ties to modern descendants.

"Sacrifices took place 500 years ago"
The remains of the children and other remains dated between the 7th and 12th centuries. So, it is clear that the ritual sacrifices took place more than 500 years ago. But most of the children were buried there for 200 years.


"Children had close genetic relations"
Oana Del Castillo-Chavez, a study co-author and researcher in the Physical Anthropology Section at the Centro INAH Yucatan said that the children were of similar ages and diets, they had close genetic relations and they were interred in the same place for more than 200 years ago.

"First ancient Maya genomes"
Johannes Krause, an archaeogeneticist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany said that these were the first ancient Maya genomes to be published

According to CBS, Christina Warinner, an associate professor of social sciences and anthropology at Harvard University and a group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, expressed hope that the new research would shine a new light on what ritual sacrifice in the Mayan civilization looked like and meant.

FAQs:

In which Mayan temple were children sacrificed?
A recent in-depth study has revealed that children were sacrificed in the city of Chichen Itza, built on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.

What information do we get about the children who were sacrificed?
It has been found that the children were of similar ages and diets, they had close genetic relations and they were interred in the same place for more than 200 years ago.