In Peru, archaeologists
have unearthed a large temple used for a kind of human sacrifice called "presentation" by the Incas. In this rite, prisoners of war were cut and their blood was caught in cups to be offered to the gods. This is a Moche site dating to before the rise of the Inca empire, but the ritual seems to be the same. This picture shows the ceremonial passage down which the victims, naked and bound, were marched to their deaths. The corridor is lined with altars, which could have been used to offer a cup of blood to lesser spirits before the main event.
After the site was abandoned, it continued to be used for religious rituals and burials, like this one. I know I have been an archaeologists for a long time because my first thought on seeing this picture was, "Wow, look at all those pots!"
But what pots they are.
In Peru, archaeologists have unearthed a large temple used for a kind of human sacrifice called "presentation" by the Incas. In this rite, prisoners of war were cut and their blood was caught in cups to be offered to the gods. This is a Moche site dating to before the rise of the Inca empire, but the ritual seems to be the same. This picture shows the ceremonial passage down which the victims, naked and bound, were marched to their deaths. The corridor is lined with altars, which could have been used to offer a cup of blood to lesser spirits before the main event.
After the site was abandoned, it continued to be used for religious rituals and burials, like this one. I know I have been an archaeologists for a long time because my first thought on seeing this picture was, "Wow, look at all those pots!"
But what pots they are.
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