I knew that the Inca practiced human sacrifice. What I didn’t know prior to our recent trip to Peru was that their sacrifices were of children. And not just any children, but the most beautiful children from well-born families.
The ceremony was called capacocha, “solemn sacrifice”. Parents offered what they most prized – their children – to the mountain gods to ensure water for the harvest and protection against earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other natural phenomena. The children were brought to the palace in Cusco (the principal city of the Inca empire) and treated like royalty over the course of a year or two. (more…)
