The Mayans Practiced Human Sacrifice
As horrifying as it may seem, human sacrifice was a source of security and hope for the Mayan people. They believed that it was nourishment for the gods. It was considered mandatory whenever a new ruler came to power, or a new building was completed. Sacrificial victims were usually gathered from prisoners of war. Most prisoners were used as slave labor with only a few sacrificed to the gods.
The victim’s skin was painted blue. They were given a headdress and held down on the altar by four attendants. The head attendant would cut out the victim’s heart with a ceremonial knife. Their heart was then passed to the priest, who then smeared the blood onto an image of a god. The body was then thrown down the steps of the temple. Afterwards, the corpse was skinned by the priests and worn by dancers, to symbolize rebirth.
