The ancient Maya civilization is renowned for its sophisticated ... Among their most enigmatic practices were human sacrifices, often performed to appease the gods, as well as ensure agricultural ...

Sacrifices were often painted blue ... you tend to think of them as only existing in the past. While the Mayan empire was at its height centuries ago, the Mayan people, language and customs ...

But while "only male children were selected for sacrifice" here, rituals varied. Ancient DNA degrades faster in tropical areas, but "we're getting better and better at retrieving even very small ...

In fact they’re not hills at all but ancient pyramids, left to decay after the collapse of the Maya civilization a millennium ago. The site was a thriving settlement during the Classic Maya ...