Beneath the ancient Maya city of Dos Pilas in northern Guatemala, archaeologists recently made a grim discovery that reveals the lengths the Maya would go to in order to curry the favor of the gods at harvest time. Deep within a flooded cave known (appropriately enough) as Cueva de Sangre, or “the Cave of Blood,” the archaeologists uncovered hundreds of fragmented human bones, many of which bore unmistakable marks of violent attacks (many were literally chopped into pieces). The nature of the remains clearly suggested that ritual sacrifices of human beings had occurred, which apparently took place nearly 2,000 years ago.
The Cave of Blood is part of a network of subterranean chambers located beneath Dos Pilas, which was first mapped in the early 1990s. Dating back to between 400 BC and 250 AD, the caves were used by the Maya during times of prosperity. It seems that Cueva de Sangre was reserved for sacrificial rites tied to seasonal change and agricultural activities. Bioarchaeologist Michele Bleuze of California State University, Los Angeles, noted an intriguing fact about the remains discovered so far: “The emerging pattern that we’re seeing is that there are body parts and not bodies. In Maya ritual, body parts are just as valuable as the whole body.”
This fragmentation, researchers believe, is central to understanding the purpose of the cave. Bones were found lying openly on the surface of the cave floor, not buried as in traditional funerary contexts. The presence of red ocher, a pigment used in many ancient rituals, and obsidian blades — a sharp volcanic glass favored in Maya ceremonies — supports the theory that Cueva de Sangre was not a tomb but a sacred site where blood sacrifices were frequently performed.
The physical condition of the bones provides indisputable evidence of ceremonial violence. Forensic anthropologist Ellen Fricano of Western University of Health Sciences examined the skeletal injuries and noted multiple instances of trauma inflicted around the time of death. These include sharp-force marks on a forehead fragment, likely made with a beveled blade, and a similar cut on a child’s hip bone. The choice and precision of tools suggest intentional dismemberment rather than random violence or battle wounds. “There are a few lines of evidence that we used to determine that this was more likely a ritual site than not,” Fricano explained.
Alongside the cuts and fractures, the spatial arrangement of the bones appears deliberate. In one chamber, four skull caps were discovered stacked neatly, indicating that the remains were carefully handled and displayed as part of the rituals that were taking place. The cave’s layout also provides important context. Accessible only by a narrow opening that leads to a low passage and then opens onto a pool of water, Cueva de Sangre would have been flooded for most of the year. The dry season — roughly between March and May — was likely the only time the site could be reached.
This timing may be key to understanding the purpose of the sacrifices. The Day of the Holy Cross, celebrated on May 3 and still observed by some modern Maya communities, occurs just before the annual rains begin, involving visits to caves to petition for rain and agricultural success. Such sacrificial acts performed at Cueva de Sangre could have been a means to appease the Maya rain god, Chaac, ensuring his favor for a fruitful season ahead.
Discoveries of human sacrifice-related artifacts and skeletal remains are not unusual at Maya archaeological sites. Nevertheless, the findings at Cueva de Sangre provide an especially vivid and well-preserved demonstration of how sacrificial rituals were staged and executed in ancient Maya culture. The distinction between burial and sacrificial space is paramount; while Maya burials were generally respectful, sacrifices were performative, meant to provoke specific responses from one or more deities.
The exposed bones, signs of trauma, and ritual objects paint a haunting picture of a ceremony that, while violent and shocking, aimed to secure a positive outcome for the Maya people. Researchers emphasize that much work on the skeletal remains remains to be done. Ancient DNA analysis and isotopic testing are underway to help determine the origins, health, and relationships of those sacrificed.
As Bleuze notes, “Right now, our focus is on who are these people deposited here, because they’re treated completely differently than the majority of the population.” While the dismemberment of corpses may appear brutal from a modern perspective, it was conducted in a context deemed sacred in ancient Maya society, where prosperity was closely linked to these practices.