In a newly discovered 700-year-old tomb, the skeletons of 76 children were found, sacrificed with their hearts removed.

In an archaeological excavation in Peru, a chilling mass grave belonging to the Chimu people, who lived before the Inca civilization, was uncovered. In the grave discovered in 2022, the bodies of 76 children who were sacrificed with their hearts removed were found.

Researchers determined that the children's chests were cut from the collarbone to the breastbone, and their ribs were forcibly opened to remove their hearts. Next to the naked buried children, clothes with silver and copper pieces were found.

According to Anthropologist Gabriel Prieto from the University of Florida, these children were likely brought from another region conquered by the Chimu people. The elongated shape of the children's skulls and their dietary habits support this theory.

Experts believe that children were sacrificed in the northwestern desert region of Peru to "enhance" the irrigation of agricultural lands. According to Andean beliefs, deceased individuals transform into ancestors and increase the fertility of the lands.

Other excavations in the area revealed a total of 460 sacrificed children. It was determined that all the victims had their hearts removed and that these rituals were carried out by the decision of the central government in the capital, Chan Chan. The Chimu civilization was destroyed by the Incas in the 15th century.