Mayan Altar Used to Sacrifice Children Found in Ancient ‘City of the Gods’

An ancient altar has been uncovered. After working for more than one year, researchers uncovered an altar from the Teoithuacan culture. They did so in Guatemala’s Tikal National Park, the country’s Culture and Sports Ministry said.

Lorena Paiz, the lead archaeologist, told The Associated Press that the Teotihuacan altar was believed to have been used for sacrifices, “especially of children.”

Ancient Altar Used for Sacrifices of Children Found

“The remains of three children not older than 4 years were found on three sides of the altar,” Paiz said. Paiz went on to describe the altar, which was covered with limestone, and how it relates to the Teotihuacan culture.

“The Teotihuacan were traders who traveled all over the country,” Paiz said. “The Teotihuacan residential complexes were houses with rooms and in the center altars. That’s what the residence that was found is like, with an altar with the figure representing the Storm Goddess.”

The mural of the Storm Goddess in the altar is “surprisingly well-preserved,” the researchers said. They further noted that they were able to uncover the artwork’s original colors—red, yellow, and blue—thanks to advanced technology.

The Significance of the Altar

The Teotihuacan altar was discovered in the center of Mayan culture. That makes it a huge find because it proves that the two societies interacted, the researchers said.

While Tikal was the site of Mayan battles for centuries, Teotihuacan was based near present-day Mexico City. The latter culture hit its peak between 100 B.C. and A.D. 750. It was abandoned before the rise of the Aztecs in the 14th century.

Edwin Román, who leads the South Tikal Archaeological Project, told the AP that “the discovery shows the sociopolitical and cultural interaction between the Maya of Tikal and Teotihuacan’s elite between 300 and 500 A.D.”

Researchers said that, given all that they uncovered, they’ve been able to glean that the area “was inhabited by individuals with strong ties to or originating from Teotihuacán, who, in addition to bringing their funerary and architectural traditions, were also free to express their own cultural identity and beliefs in a key space within Tikal.”

In a statement, Paiz noted that the find is “something unique in Guatemala,” adding that “nothing like it had ever been found.”

“The importance lies in what we’ve always believed,” Paiz said. “Mayan cities were cosmopolitan.”