Remains of pregnant woman, showing signs of “ritual sacrifice”, discovered in Ecuador, archaeologists say

A pregnant woman who believes she lived more than a thousand years ago in the coastal region of Ecuador may have been part of the sacrifice or ritual punishment, according to archaeologists who excavated her remains in 2022.

In a study published last month by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the American Archeology SocietyThe experts detailed their analysis of the girl’s remains, called Burial 10, who dated between 771 and 953. Or near the moment of her death, the investigators said.

Archaeologists discovered that their funeral is significant because she was pregnant at that time. The young woman’s remains showed a cranial fracture and the marks cut in the bones of her hand, which led them to raise the hypothesis that she could have been sacrificed.

“Perimortem trauma, which includes a cranial fracture and marks in the bones of the hand, the perimortem extraction of the left hands and leg, and another manipulation of the body suggests that it was sacrificed, a rare event for the coastal Ecuadorian peoples,” The researchers wrote.

Although the human sacrifice in coastal Ecuador is rare, the positioning of the body and the missing limbs suggest possible ritual importance, according to the study.

His eyes were covered with two ark clams shells. According to the study, there was a large green clay stone and several ceramic fragments on the forehead. They found spondy masks in the form of a crescent, or mollusc shells, around the body.

It was also buried with pendants and accounts of Spondylus, known as Chaquira, of various cultural traditions and periods.

It is believed that the woman is part of the people of Manteño, who lived along the Ecuadorian coast and survived by agriculture and the sailor, but the ocular covers were not consistent with the typical mandatory burials, the researchers said. The Green Stone represented a link between death and fertility for the burials of Valdivian, a different group of coastal people who preceded the Manteño in almost 2,000 years, according to experts. The masks were also typically linked to the practices of the Valdivians.

“Accumulating so many artifacts required an intentional collection and cure before inclusion in this funeral,” the study said. “The interpretation of this funeral must consider these emphasis and repeated ties with the past to understand the reasons for this enigmatic burial.”

The burial also included a burned offer placed in the thoracic cavity, the researchers said. However, it has been found that such rituals occur later between 991-1025 of AD, which would indicate that the woman’s tomb was reviewed and possibly used for other rituals.