Researchers Unearth 1200-Yr-Old Unusual Burial of a Young, Pregnant Woman, Believe She Was Sacrificed for a Strange Reason

Archaeologists uncovered a burial in Ecuador that possibly sheds light on sacrifice practices prevalent 1,200 years ago. Experts located the burial at the site of Buen Suceso, stated Live Science. It contained the remains of a pregnant woman along with the skull of another individual. The artifacts present in the grave indicate that the woman was buried honorably. This made experts speculate that the woman could have possibly been sacrificed to alleviate a phenomenon like El Niño. Findings regarding the pregnant woman's burial have been published in the journal Latin American Antiquity.

| Photo by Boris Hamer)
Researchers went through six graves at the site, in which the pregnant woman's resting place stood apart for them. Her body was surrounded by items like Spondylus mollusk-shell ornaments, cockle shells, and obsidian. The woman's body was excavated and her bones were sent for testing. The analysis unveiled that she had been bludgeoned to death, and her body parts had been dismembered. Researchers speculate that a woman being the subject of such a death may indicate, that they were considered as powerful in the society of those times. "The fact that it was a woman who was pregnant might indicate that women held important positions of power, and thus their power needed to be 'managed,'" Sara Juengst, a bioarchaeologist at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte explained.
All the graves examined at the site, including that of the pregnant woman dated back to the Manteño period between 771 and 953 C.E. The woman was around 17 to 20 years old, and seven to nine months pregnant at the time of her death, as per experts. Scientists also stated that the woman's legs and hands were cut after she took her last breath. Radiocarbon dating concluded that the burnt offerings were placed in the grave between 991 and 1025 C.E. which implies it accompanied the woman centuries after her death. Researchers have the same estimate for the human skull in the grave.

Researchers believe that the woman was possibly sacrificed. "Evidence for human sacrifice in coastal Ecuador is rare but not entirely absent. European chroniclers mentioned that human sacrifice occurred when a local leader died or to ask for favors from local deities. Burial 10 may have been sacrificed as part of similar rites," the researchers wrote. How the artifacts were placed around the woman suggests that people wanted to 'protect' her and her fetus. The artifacts made of Spondylus give credence to this claim as the material symbolizes fertility and harbors a lot of importance in South American cultures.
Archaeologists in Ecuador uncovered a 1,200-year-old burial of a pregnant woman, revealing signs of violent death and unique burial offerings. Could this be evidence of a ritual sacrifice by Ecuador's mysterious Manteño culture?https://t.co/KDT9R2miew#HumanSacrifice #Ecuador… pic.twitter.com/TZgiFpPq1y
— Ancient Origins (@ancientorigins) January 27, 2025
Experts linked the sacrifice with El Niño events as the pregnant woman died when an intense phase of this phenomenon was taking place in Ecuador. Researchers believe the woman was possibly sacrificed due to her fertility, to ensure that crop yields are rejuvenated after the dry spell. Many of the artifacts she was buried with symbolize water, which further backs up the claim that the sacrifice was intended to reduce damages by El Niño. Another speculation is that the woman was politically or socially powerful and was killed by a rival. Because of her position, the rival possibly buried her with honor as per tradition.