Ancient Mexican Child Sacrifice Linked to Elite Inbreeding

The parents of a kid ritually sacrificed successful pre-contact Mexico were apt adjacent relatives. Like, really adjacent relatives. Sounds similar thing retired of Game of Thrones (RIP Princess Shireen Baratheon), but DNA investigation indicates it happened astatine slightest erstwhile successful a pre-contact Mexican community.

Paquimé is simply a UNESCO World Heritage Site successful the Mexican authorities of Chihuahua that’s known for its archaeological riches. The country was inhabited for implicit 700 years by members of the Mogollon culture, but was abandoned for chartless reasons successful the mid-15th century.

Human remains recovered successful burial sites hint astatine Paquimé’s hierarchy. Some skeletal remains were recovered successful little layers, surrounded by goods specified arsenic manus drums and ceramics. Others, successful the higher layers, showed signs of sick health, and perchance of adjacent being partially cannibalized.

Among the bodies recovered successful an elite country were the remains of a antheral child, who was betwixt 2 and five-years-old erstwhile helium died. A 1974 survey concluded that the body’s positioning suggested helium was apt sacrificed successful a ritual to consecrate a caller building.

Now, to amended recognize the societal operation of Paquimé, a squad of scientists decided to analyse the boy’s DNA. In the resulting study published successful the diary Antiquities, the researchers reported uncovering a precocious fig of identical genes and alleles, meaning the kid had parents “who were much intimately related than archetypal cousins,” said Jakob Sedig, a postdoctoral chap astatine Harvard who led the study, successful a property release.

“These results supply unsocial penetration into societal hierarchy and socio-religious practices astatine Paquimé,” helium added. “The adjacent steps successful this probe are to proceed analyzing the past DNA of individuals from Paquimé and bluish and occidental Mexico to assistance america recognize however antithetic groups moved and mixed done time.”

Anthropologists judge the House of the Well, wherever the boy’s remains were found, was a burial tract reserved for section elites. He was apt the offspring of an upper-class brace of siblings oregon different precise adjacent relatives. Because helium was calved to 2 members of a section elite family, their sacrifice “would person been a almighty mode to consecrate the House of the Well and augment social, political, and ritual standing,” the scientists wrote.

They added that the findings suggest taboos against incest, portion enforced for commoners, whitethorn person been overlooked for elites seeking to consolidate powerfulness (for House of the Dragon watchers, deliberation Aegon and Helaena). This signifier of close-kin unions among elites shows however the pursuit of powerfulness could sometimes override societal norms.