Robert Clarkさんのインスタグラム写真 - (Robert ClarkInstagram)「A child perhaps in his or her early teens rests in a mass burial site of #PampalaCruz on the arid coast of northern #Peru. They are among the 269 children who were sacrificed and buried around 1450 CE at two sites near #ChanChan, the ancient capital of the #Chimú people. Most of the victims were killed with a cut to the chest, possibly to remove the heart, and buried in simple shrouds. Gabriel Prieto, #GabrielPrieto a professor of #archaeology from the National University of #Trujillo, peers into the grave and nods. “Ninety-five,” he announces. He’s keeping a running tally of victims, and this one, labeled E95, is the 95th dug up since he first began investigating the mass burial site in 2011. The grim count from this and a second sacrifice site nearby will ultimately add up to 269 children between the ages of five and 14 and three adults. All of the victims perished more than 500 years ago in carefully orchestrated acts of ritual sacrifice that may be unprecedented in world history. “This is something completely unexpected,” exclaims Prieto, shaking his head in bewilderment. The words have become a kind of mantra as the archaeologist and father struggles to make sense of the harrowing discovery at a site called Huanchaquito-Las Llamas. In our time and culture, the violent death of even one child rends all but the most callous hearts, and the specter of mass murder horrifies every healthy mind. And so, we wonder: What desperate circumstances might account for an act that’s unthinkable to us today? Words by @natgeo Shot on assignment for @natgeo」6月13日 23時58分