Peru child sacrifice discovery may be largest in history

Researchers find 140 child victims of human sacrifice, killed in a single event some 550 years ago.

Archaeologists have uncovered what may be the largest single mass child sacrifice event in human history.

More than 140 children were sacrificed at about the same time in Peru's northern coastal region, about 550 years ago.

The discovery was made near modern-day Trujillo, which lies near the centre of the ancient Chimú civilisation.

More than 200 young llamas were sacrificed alongside the children - all of which were killed in a single event.

The unprecedented discovery, supported by grants from the National Geographic Society, was exclusively unveiled on the National Geographic website.

"I, for one, never expected it," John Verano, one of the lead researchers, told the publication. "And I don't think anyone else would have, either."

In 2011, the first discovery of human sacrifice victims at the site, known as Huanchaquito-Las Llamas, uncovered the remains of 40 victims and 74 llamas during the excavation of a 3,500-year-old temple.

The final tally announced this week of 140 children show that the victims were aged between five and 14 - though most were between eight and 12 years old, National Geographic reports.

The children are known to be victims of human sacrifice because of cut marks to the bones, including the sternum, the bone in the centre of the chest. Many ribs were also damaged - which may indicate the heart was removed.

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