In the world-famous site of Chichen Itza in southern Mexico, researchers have identified the remains of 64 children who were sacrificed.
This is reported by Іflscience.
It is noted that all the children were male, some were relatives, and a few were probably even twins.
It’s unclear exactly why twins and other close relatives were chosen, although the researchers note that identical brothers feature prominently in ancient Maya mythology. In particular, the sacred K’iche’ Mayan Book of Council, or Popol Vuh, recounts the story of the "Hero Twins" Hunahpu and Xbalanque, who do battle with the gods through repeated cycles of sacrifice and resurrection, as well as the killing of twins. The boys at Chichen Itza may have represented a ritual enactment of these mythic adventures.
Meanwhile, genetic continuity between ancient children and modern Mayan communities indicates that the victims were locals, not foreigners. At the same time, researchers have gained insight into the long-term impact of disease epidemics caused by early contacts with European conquistadors.
By comparing modern Mayan genomes with DNA of sacrificed boys, researchers found evidence of positive selection in immune-related genes that provide protection against Salmonella. This indicates that people who survived these colonial-era pandemics may have been genetically adapted to resist certain diseases, subsequently passing on genes that became ubiquitous among future generations.
Earlier, we wrote that scientists have found the sunken ship Nemesis, which disappeared more than 100 years ago.