Archaeologists discover grisly South American temple where bodies were 'defleshed'

Animal sacrifices may have been a common practice in ancient religious rituals, but archaeologists in Bolivia were surprised to discover human body parts at a religious complex.

The archaeologists believe the site was an ancient mortuary, since the bones had been boiled to remove the flesh. In a new study in the journal Antiquity, researchers explain that removing the flesh made ancestors easier to transport.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.