Science discovery

Archaeologist Gabriel Prieto points to the remains of a child ritually sacrificed on the site.

(REUTERS/Mariana Bazo)
The gruesome details of the slaughter
The details of the slaughter are disturbing. The children mostly ranged from around eight to twelve years old (though the youngest were five). The findings suggest they had their faces smeared with a red pigment, and the skeletons show signs of mutilation, including broken sternums and notches cut into the rib-cages. It seems the children's chests were cut open and their ribs dislocated in order to remove their hearts.

By examining layers of sediment and footprints around the site, the archaeologists concluded that the sacrifices were likely carried out over the course of a single day.

From the footprints, it appears that the children and llamas were led in a single line and sacrificed one after the other. There are even skid marks in the sediment indicating places where the sacrificial victims were reluctant to participate.

The children's bodies were buried facing west, towards the Pacific Ocean, while the llamas were buried facing east, toward the Andes mountains.

Along with the children's remains, archaeologists uncovered the bodies of one man and two women near the sacrificial site. The researchers think the adults may have performed the ritual killings then were executed shortly after.

The precise cuts on the skeletons indicate that the killings were performed by trained hands, according to National Geographic's report.

"It is ritual killing, and it's very systematic," Verano told National Geographic.