[Aztlan] Hard evidence of Maya human sacrifice

[john.pastore]

"I don't have Linda Schele's "The Blood of Kings" at hand, but
if I recall correctly, she described a Mayan king drawing a
string barbed with cactus thorns through a hole in his penis
-- in order to benefit his people. Acts such as these were
solemnly recorded on stone monuments....

Why do you think the depictions infer "solemnity"?

In a way the murals aren't unlike the scenes just prior to a
world wrestling championship match. There is he who is
demonstrating he is master and there is audience.

Self-mutilation is not unknown in locales which can even feed
on great violence. In prisons for example: where inmates can
go to the most daunting extremes to demonstrate just how tough
they are. Tough enough that no one else should dare challenge
them physically and even their supremcy---self-mutilation
which, if it will suceed to achieve its desired effect at all,
certainly requires audience.

"So this was clearly heroism, not terrorism, and the
sacrifices of the human victims were likely to have a similar
solemn, dignified and voluntary tone. They were giving their
earthly lives for the benefit of their friends, relatives and
other beloved souls. They were, possibly, joyful martyrs."

The Maya's own Popol Vuh describes sacrifices and, as best I
recall, all but one were meted out as punishment and not reward.

The exception is described by an episode beginning with
another people, from highlands, arriving and settling
peacefully on the area's hilltops.

After a passage of time however the original inhabitants,
occupying the lowlands, begin to notice members of their group
having disappeared. The realization was gradual for the motive
being not to arouse immediate alarm. Individuals and even
couples would, over time, disappear only until there had been
such a cumulative result had been reached and, even then,
arousing only suspicions of kidnapping.

Eventually the original inhabitants confronted the newly
arrived with their suspicion and the newly arrived agreed to
desist. 

Again, however, the same pattern of disappearances recurred
and, this time, the lowlanders suspected human sacrifice and
went to war---unsucessfully howerver.

There was yet another innovation(?)for attack:

While scaling the hilltop stronghold of the new-comers,
original inhabitants were bombarded with smoke (drug) bombs
which put them to sleep and upon a groggy awakenting were
bombarded by bee hives.

And this too was observed by (and for) an audience.

John Pastore

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