A comprehensive DNA analysis of the skeletal remains of a child taken from a pre-Columbian settlement by archaeologists and geneticists has revealed somber details about an ancient religious ritual. The study was published Aug. 13 in the journal Ancient Age.
The body was exhumed from a site known as Paquimé in the 13th and 14th centuries. Ancient Origins according to reports, “it was essentially the capital of the pre-Columbian Mogollon culture.” The Mogollon culture refers to indigenous people from southern New Mexico and Arizona, northern Sonora and Chihuahua, and western Texas.
Researchers believe the adolescent was sacrificed by his parents 700 to 800 years ago as part of an ancient religious ritual. The body was buried near a “unique structure” known to Paquimé's citizens as the House of the Well. Previous excavations of this building and its underground chambers revealed a number of “ritual objects” that suggest the site was a “ceremonial center.”
The child's body was buried under a support pole, the first time archaeologists have found a body buried in such a spot in the region. Scientists believe this indicates that this ritual was particularly noteworthy.
“Studies of pre-contact Mesoamerican rituals have shown that human sacrifice was one of the most effective ways to appease the gods or gain their aid, with elite sacrifice being the most powerful method,” the study said.
DNA analysis of the remains found a significant “streak of homozygosity” in the child's genes, meaning the parents were likely very closely related, “more closely related than they would have been if they were cousins.” While relationships between family members have historically been taboo in most cultures, some ancient societies made exceptions for elites to ensure blood ties were maintained.
But the researchers quickly realized that maintaining the family's bloodline was not the primary goal, as the child was clearly the victim of a ritual sacrifice. “Sacrificing a child born to two individuals of a local, elite lineage would have been a powerful way to sanctify the House of Well and increase its social, political, and ritual standing,” the study explained.
Jakob Sedig, lead author of the study, explained in a press release that while analysis of the skeleton answers some questions about the ancient society, many questions remain unanswered.
“Archaeologists have been studying Paquimé for decades and have learned a lot about its rise and fall, the people who lived there, ritual practices and more,” Sedig explained. “However, many questions remain, especially about the site's social hierarchy and how Paquimé residents were biologically related to each other and their neighbors.”
Sedig hopes to continue his research into the ancient society by analyzing the DNA of other residents of Paquimé and those in “northern and western Mexico to help us understand how different groups moved and mixed over time.”