Not just kill them but also cut out their hearts... possibly while they were still alive since there is no mention of other potential causes of death commonly associated with ritual sacrifice in...
Cuts to both the children and llamas’ skeletal remains — particularly to the sternum and rib bone — suggest their chests were cut open, likely so that their hearts could be removed, according to National Geographic.
Not just kill them but also cut out their hearts... possibly while they were still alive since there is no mention of other potential causes of death commonly associated with ritual sacrifice in ancient Peruvian cultures of the region, such as blunt force trauma to the head or decapitation. :(
It's kind of hard to imagine the combination of fear, desperation, government, and mythology that would drive people to kill all their little kids.
Not just kill them but also cut out their hearts... possibly while they were still alive since there is no mention of other potential causes of death commonly associated with ritual sacrifice in ancient Peruvian cultures of the region, such as blunt force trauma to the head or decapitation. :(
And as for what could have pushed them so far? It was probably severe flooding in coastal cities combined with severe drought in the interior which is what potentially caused their predecessors, the Moche and Sican, to collapse and there is evidence the Chimú (who sacrificed these children) suffered from as well though they managed to recover.