Ecuador Burial Suggests Ritual Sacrifice of Pregnant Woman in 800 AD

Archaeologists in Ecuador have unearthed a significant and unusual burial from around 1,200 years ago, revealing the remains of a pregnant woman and her fetus. The discovery has raised questions about the nature of her death, as evidence suggests she was brutally killed and dismembered. Furthermore, the grave contained additional offerings, including the skull of another person, and a burnt offering, leading researchers to speculate that the woman may have been sacrificed to appease an unknown deity.

In an article about their research published in Latin American Antiquity, study lead author Sara Juengst, a bioarchaeologist at the University of North Carolina—Charlotte, and her colleagues explored the nature of this mysterious burial, which dates back to the Ecuador’s Manteño period (650 to 1532 AD). The Manteño people lived in various chiefdoms located along Ecuador’s Pacific coast, relying on agriculture and fishing to survive. While not a satellite of the Inca Empire, they did have contact with it and were influenced by Incan practices and beliefs.

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The Details of Two Gruesome Ancient Deaths Are Uncovered

At the Buen Suceso site, which lies less than six miles (nine km) inland in the Manglaralto Valley in the province of Santa Elena, there were six ancient burials found in total, but the burial of the pregnant woman stood out as particularly unusual. She was between 17 and 20 years old and was approximately seven to nine months pregnant when she passed away. Radiocarbon dating data suggests her death occurred around the year 800, although she could have met her demise a few decades earlier or later. Her skull showed signs of blunt force trauma, possibly indicating she died from a blow to the head, with further violence inflicted on her shortly thereafter.

Through detailed analysis of the skeletal remains, Juengst and her team pieced together a sequence of events surrounding the woman's tragic death. In their journal article, they describe the sequence as follows:

“First, Burial 10 [the young pregnant woman] received a blow to the head (intentional or accidental) and died. Before burial but around the time of death, her hands and left leg were removed. She was then buried in an earthen pit with a mix of Manteño and earlier offerings. Later, the burial was reopened, whether through accidental discovery or because the spot was marked, and a burnt offering was placed on her chest. Although speculative, these activities seem the most parsimonious interpretation of the current evidence.”

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A drawing of Burial 10 in situ during excavation by Kathryn Killacky, along with a schematic displaying missing elements (dark gray), disturbed elements (light gray), and the locations of mascaras (crescents) and pendants (squares). (Sara Juegas / UNC Charlotte)

Human sacrifice was uncommon among ancient coastal Ecuadorian populations, as the researchers point out in their study. However, the unusual artifacts found in the burial added to its distinctiveness and suggest that this was in fact some type of sacrifice.

The grave contained an assortment of valuable items (a rather odd assortment, in fact), including cockle shells placed over the woman’s eye sockets, crescent-shaped ornaments made from Spondylus mollusk shells, three obsidian blades surrounding her body, and a crab claw positioned on her abdomen. Some of the mollusk shells were 2,000 years older than the burial itself, making them highly valuable trade objects, according to Juengst.

Artifacts discovered in the burial of the pregnant woman and fetus include crescent shaped Spondylus shell ornaments, obsidian blades, and a crab claw. (Sara Juegas / UNC Charlotte)

Adding another element of mystery to the find, the skull of an individual between 25 and 35 years old was found near the woman’s shoulder, accompanied by a burnt offering on her chest. Radiocarbon dating of the burnt material suggests it was placed in the grave between 991 and 1025 AD, meaning it would have been put there one or centuries after the woman's death.

The discovery of this burial is particularly intriguing to Juengst, because of the stark contrast between the brutal nature of the woman's death and the valuable items found in her grave.

“The dehumanizing and disempowering way she was killed,” Juengst explained in an email interview with Live Science, “contrasts sharply with the fact that her grave was filled with precious trade goods.”

The placement of these items, especially the Spondylus shells, which were associated with fertility and water, appears to suggest that the woman and her fetus were given special care and protection, Juengst noted.

Was it Really Human Sacrifice? Or Was it Murder?

The researchers involved in the study of this horrifying burial offer two potential explanations for the sacrifice of the two victims.

One possibility is that she was sacrificed as a result of the severe El Niño events occurring at the time, which caused crop failures and hardship over several growing seasons. Her pregnant status may have made her a symbol of fertility and offering her to the gods might have been a way to ensure they would restore the fertility of the land. Many of the artifacts in the grave, with their connections to water and fertility, seem to support this idea.

Another possibility, based on burial patterns among the Manteño people, is that women may have held significant political power. If the woman was a political figure, her death and subsequent sacrifice could have been an attempt to eliminate a rival, but with the burial treatment reflecting her high status.

Ritual stool of the Manteño culture. (Sailko/CC BY-SA 3.0)

“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,'” Juengst speculated . “If a rival of this woman wanted to take over, they would need to eliminate her and her unborn offspring, but also still give her honor based on her status.”

While what was discovered was undoubtedly consistent with human sacrifice, Benjamin Schaefer, a bioarchaeologist at the University of Illinois Chicago, who was not involved in the study, expressed caution about drawing definitive conclusions.

In an email to Live Science, Schaefer stated, “The distinctive mortuary treatment is noteworthy, but I remain cautious about definitively interpreting it as evidence of sacrifice.” He suggested that additional data could help clarify the nature of the burial, offering more insight into potential sacrificial practices of the Manteño culture.

As of now, it is impossible for the researchers to make any definitive statements about sacrificial practices among the Manteño people, given that this is only a single find. But it absolutely does raise new questions about how these ancient inhabitants of South America responded to environmental crises, which would have threatened their survival and might have provoked an extreme response.

Top image: The burial of a pregnant woman and fetus from Ecuador's Manteño period could have been a ritual sacrifice. Source: Sara Juegas / UNC Charlotte