Nature: Ancient Maya genomes reveal ritual sacrifice at Chichén Itzá | Christina Warinner
Together with a team of international researchers, Dr. Rodrigo Barquera (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology) and Harvard Professor Christina Warinner (Anthropology) reveal the practice of male twin sacrifice and the enduring genetic legacy of colonial-era epidemics. Rising to power in the wake of the Classic Maya collapse, Chichén Itzá was among the largest and most influential cities of the ancient Maya, but much about its political connections and ritual life remain poorly understood. In a new study in Nature, researchers discover a practice of ritual child sacrifice focused exclusively on males. Close kin relationships, including two pairs of identical twins, suggests a connection to the Maya origin myths of the Popol Vuh. Further comparison to Maya populations today reveals the genetic impact of colonial-era epidemics.
First excavated in the 1900s by Harvard archaeologist Edward H. Thompson, the ancient Maya city of Chichén Itzá is one of North America’s most iconic and enigmatic archaeological sites. Applying ancient DNA technologies to the site for the first time, Warinner and Barquera reveal a wealth of new and unexpected information about the history of ritual sacrifice at the site, and also find evidence for the enduring immunological impacts of colonial epidemics among Maya communities today.
In July 2023, the team shared their ancient DNA findings with study participants and local communities in the Yucatan, Mexico. The results of their research were published to the scientific community in June 2024 in the journal Nature.
