human sacrifice (allusion to Abraham)

[Luis Gonzalez-Reimann]

At 02:11 PM 4/22/98 -0600, N. Ganesan wrote:

>Can someone still summarize the child sacrifice, blood letting amidst
>Mayas, please. (I will contact the Mayan experts, provided by
>Dr. L. Patton little later).

Human sacrifice was not only practiced by the Mayas but also, and probably
more so, by the Aztecs.  It was a widespread practice in Mesoamerica, and
other groups also practiced it, such as the Mixtecs, the Otomi, and the
Tarascans.  There might be disagreements as to the extent and the exact
circumstances under which it was practiced (voluntary or not, etc.), but it
seems to be an undisputable fact that it was.
Blood letting, as a form of self-sacrifice, was also practiced, usually with
cactus thorns.

Luis Gonzalez-Reimann
University of California, Berkeley