Understanding Human Sacrifice - John Verano

It might be hard to understand from our 21st Century perspectives, but Tulane anthropologist and National Geographic grantee Dr. John Verano says that in at least one time and place on Earth, becoming a human sacrifice to the gods would have been considered a high honor. Verano studies Peru’s Chimu culture from the 1400’s and explains that it’s hard to be sure what the Chimu intended when they sacrificed people and llamas, but he’s certain that whatever they hoped to gain from the offerings, it was a very serious business: “Of course, children are a great resource in a society, and that’s not something you part with voluntarily. And llamas, are valuable animals for meat and transportation. Killing in a sacrifice like this implies that it was very important.”