Archaeologists have revealed the chilling purpose of an ancient Mayan "Blood Cave" in Guatemala, determining it was used for human sacrifices approximately 2,000 years ago.
The cave, known as Cueva de Sangre, is located beneath the archaeological site of Dos Pilas in Petén.
First discovered in the 1990s, the site contained hundreds of human bones bearing evidence of traumatic injuries.
Recent analysis by researchers has concluded these injuries resulted from ritual dismemberment during sacrificial ceremonies.
The cave is one of more than a dozen in the region used by the Maya between 400 BC and AD 250.
A lesion on an occipital bone, the bone at the lower back of the skull, recovered from the cave
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Forensic anthropologist Ellen Frianco and bioarchaeologist Michele Bleuze presented their findings at the Society for American Archaeology meeting in April.
Their analysis revealed specific trauma patterns, including a skull fragment from the left forehead bearing evidence of a hatchet-like tool strike.
A child's hip bone showed similar markings. Researchers also found bones scattered across the cave floor in peculiar arrangements, including four stacked skull caps discovered during the original excavation.
"The emerging pattern that we're seeing is that there are body parts and not bodies," Bleuze told Live Science. "In Maya ritual, body parts are just as valuable as the whole body."
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Cueva de Sangre, or the 'Blood Cave', is located underneath the archaeological site of Dos Pilas in Petén, Guatemala
Michele M. Bleuze
The Blood Cave can only be accessed through a small opening that descends into a low passageway leading to a pool of water.
Due to its structure, the cave floods for most of the year and is only accessible during the dry season between March and May.
This seasonal accessibility would have been the same during Mayan times, leading researchers to believe the sacrificial remains were offerings to Chaac, the rain god.
The Maya commonly performed human sacrifices to appease gods during crises such as droughts.
"There are a few lines of evidence that we used to determine that this was more likely a ritual site than not," Frianco told Live Science.
Ritual artifacts recovered alongside the bones provide further evidence of ceremonial activities. These included obsidian blades and red ochre, a naturally-occurring rust-coloured pigment.
Researchers note that descendants of the Maya still practice similar rituals today, though without sacrifices.
On May 3, the Day of the Holy Cross, people visit caves to pray for rain and a good harvest at the end of the dry season.
The amount of human remains, their injuries and the presence of ritual objects collectively indicate this was most likely a sacrificial site dedicated to religious practices.
Though their analysis provides strong evidence that the Blood Cave was used for ritualistic human sacrifice, Frianco and Bleuze emphasise there is still more work to be done.
The researchers plan to study ancient DNA within the bones to learn more about who the deceased were.
They will also perform stable isotope analyses, which can yield information about the diets and migration patterns of the deceased, as well as environmental conditions during their lifetimes.
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