From Frightening to Facts: Human Sacrifice
Human sacrifice was practiced throughout various cultures in
history. Sacrifice was common until the development of new religions in Europe,
and until the colonization of the Americas. A quick google search of human
sacrifice and you will mostly find information about Aztec sacrifices, though
they were not the only culture to use human sacrifice as part of their rituals.
While movies depict sacrifice as part of ancient Rome or in the deep jungles of the
Amazon, human sacrifice was practiced here in Florida up to the point of
colonization by the Spanish.
The Calusa, were a group of indigenous peoples that
inhabited Florida’s southwest coast. Calusa territory was widespread and
included all of the modern day Charlotte and Lee counties. At the time the
Spanish met the Calusa, they were estimated to have a population of 10,000,
however this is speculative. They were known for their complex estuarine
fisheries and 93% of the animals in their diet came from fish and shellfish.
The Spanish described their society as being divided between nobles and
commoners. The tribe was lead by a chief, a military leader, and a chief
priest. The Calusa lived in large communal housing with Pedro Menéndez de Avilés
describing the chief’s house as being large enough to comfortably hold 2,000
people.
There is a sizeable written record of the Calusa society
that was created by Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, a shipwreck survivor who
lived amongst the Calusa for seventeen years. Fontaneda was found by Menéndez
in 1566 and taken back to Spain were he wrote memoirs of his time amongst the
Calusa. In his memoirs he describes the ritual human sacrifices performed by
the tribe. When the child of a cacique or chief died, residents gave up a child
to be sacrificed. When a chief died, his servants were sacrificed to join him
in death. Later sacrifices seemed to only involve the Spanish invaders, and did
not involve the death of any of the nobility. The Calusa constructed mounds
were ceremonies were held, and it was recorded that the chief’s house was built
on top of an earthwork mound.
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When there is no written record to go by, how do
archaeologists determine if human sacrifice or ritual killings were performed?
Bioarchaeology allows for the analysis of markings left on bones to determine
how an individual died, or injuries they sustained during their lifetime. The
location of cut marks on anterior body surfaces of cervical vertebrae indicate
the individual had their throat slit. Cut marks on the anterior thoracic region
can indicate the victim had their chest cut open, which was sometimes done to
access the heart. Trophy heads, which may or may not have involved ritual
killing, have telltale skeletal modifications as well. The skulls of trophy
heads have a perforation in the frontal bone, used to support a rope handle,
and often the base of the skull is damaged. The Calusa were known for keeping
the heads of Spanish invaders, however the documentation suggests that said
heads were left under a tree. Bioarchaeologists around the world analyze skeletal remains to get a glimpse into the lives of the deceased and often provide us with evidence that fills in gaps in the written record.
While human sacrifice is a thing of the past, it may not be as distant as one is lead to believe from movies and TV shows. Human sacrifice occurred throughout the world at various times in our history and continues to live on through depictions in media. While the Aztecs seem to dominate human sacrifice in popular culture, it is important to know that they were not the only ones who employed human sacrifice in their rituals.
Written by FPAN Staff, Megan Liebold