A team of archaeologists and genetic scientists have completed an extensive DNA analysis of the skeletal remains of a child who was buried several hundred years ago at the pre-Columbian site of Paquimé (Casas Grandes), which is located in the state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico. In a new study just published in Antiquity, the researchers show that this child’s parents were closely related elites, possibly half-siblings. Furthermore, the researchers reveal that this child was sacrificed to the gods, in a ritual that would have been considered extremely powerful because of its association with an aristocratic bloodline. Unraveling the Mysteries of Paquimé At the height of its prosperity and influence in the 13th and 14th centuries, Paquimé was essentially the capital of the pre-Columbian Mogollon culture. As its adobe ruins have been well-preserved, the site has been heavily explored by archaeologists over the past several decades. But researchers still have a lot to learn about the society the people of the Mogollon culture built, and about the  genetic history of the people who lived in Paquimé specifically. “Archaeologists have studied Paquimé for decades and have learned much about its rise and fall, the people who lived there, their ritual practices, and more”, the new study’s lead author, Dr. Jakob Sedig from Chronicle Heritage and Harvard University, explained in a press release. “However, many questions remain, especially about the site's social hierarchy and how Paquimé's inhabitants were biologically related to each other and their neighbors.” Read moreSection: NewsHistory & ArchaeologyAmericasAncient PlacesHistoryAncient TraditionsRead Later