Excavations in northern Peru have found nearly three dozen people sacrifices about 600 years ago by the Incan civilization.

The discovery was made 20 km outside the coastal city of Chiclayo, near the ancient tomb of Sipan in archaeological site of 95 hectare. Archaeology team leader Carlos Webster said that some of the bodies show signs of cuts along their necks and collarbones.

According to experts, the sacrifices were made just a few years before the arrival of Spanish explorers in what is today Peru.  Archaeologists say that discoveries of human sacrifices is common, however it is rare to find the remains of 33 people in one place.

Carlos Webster said that “most of the remains belong to young women, around 15 years of age. One of them appears to have been pregnant because in her abdomen, the collarbone of a foetus, probably around four months, was found.” He also said that the majority of the bodies are in good condition and that they were found in a dry area more that 2.3 meters underground.

Experts point out that human sacrifice was common to the Incas. The Incan culture flourished before the arrival of the Spanish in parts of modern Peru, Chile and Ecuador between 1400 and mid-1500.

Tags: chile, ecuador, human sacrifice, inca, inca civilization, incan culture, peru