Peruvian Temple Offers Clues into 3,000-year-old Human Sacrifices

Reuters

13:47 JST, August 29, 2025

LIMA (Reuters) — In a stark discovery on Peru’s northern coast, archaeologists have unearthed the 3,000-year-old remains of 14 people believed to be victims of a ritual human sacrifice, offering a glimpse into the country’s ancient past.

A research team found the skeletal remains near what is thought to be a ritual temple of the Cupisnique culture, a civilization that thrived more than a millennium before the Incas. Some of the dead were buried face down with their hands tied behind their backs.

“The way in which these individuals were buried is atypical, as are the traumas and injuries they suffered during life and the violence they endured,” said Henri Tantalean, the archaeologist who led the excavation.

The position of the bodies, he explained, “is a typical form of human sacrifice.”

Unlike many elaborate burials found elsewhere in Peru, these victims were placed in simple pits in sand mounds, without any accompanying offerings or treasures.

The discovery was made near a beach in the La Libertad region, about 675 kilometers north of Lima, adding to the list of the country’s important archaeological sites like Machu Picchu and the Nazca lines.