Sacrifice in the Americas
The ancient civilisations of the Americas are also well known for their human sacrifices. Aztec priests believed that the sacrifices they performed in the temples on top of pyramids - cutting out the still-beating heart of their victims with the blood flowing down the steps of the pyramid - were necessary to keep the sun on its daily path.
More than 100 warriors were sacrificed and buried beneath the foundations of the Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacan in Mexico, around AD 150, possibly as supernatural guardians of this Aztec temple.
'Within the Inca empire of South America, children and teenagers were sacrificed to the sun god...'
Within the Inca empire of South America, children and teenagers were sacrificed to the sun god, bestowing considerable prestige on the child's parents and on their local community. Some of these children's bodies have been found on the summits of sacred mountains, where the freezing conditions have ensured their perfect preservation.
There is evidence that human sacrifice still continues today in isolated parts of the world, and researchers have known cases where it is practiced by shamans on behalf of people - including cocaine traffickers - seeking to avert natural disasters or to improve their wealth.
Earlier this year in London, an archaeologist was brought in as an expert by the Metropolitan Police to help them identify a southern-African style ritual killing thought to be a human sacrifice.
Published: 2002-08-19
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