Sunday, June 26, 2011

Human Sacrifice is Next to Godliness?

If sacrifice is a godly trait, then would human sacrifice be the most godlike type of sacrifice?

That would seem to be the theme in many ancient Peruvian cultures.

I toured the Museo de Larco in Lima. It is the most comprehensive collection available for public viewing. The metals, textiles and pottery are incredible.

But as my tour guide walked me through the Chimú, Moche, Cajamarca, Huari , Pukará, Paracas and Inca cultures, the theme of human sacrifice arose again and again. In earlier cultures, sacrifice was simple. They just threw the victims off the top of the mountain and left the broken bodies lying below.

In later cultures, most notably the Incas, the practice evolved into a formal ritual. There were ceremonial weapons used for draining the blood of the victim. There was a special plant used to prevent coagulation of the blood. And the culmination of the ritual, after the cup of blood had passed through many hands, was the drinking of the blood by the priest.

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