Child’s Handprints in Mexican Cave Reveal Ancient Maya Ritual
More than one hundred handprints made by children 1,200 years ago on the walls of a cave in Mexico may have been part of a mysterious coming-of-age ritual of the ancient Maya.
Reuters reports that 137 handprints in black and red paint were found in an underground cavern located near the northern tip of the Yucatan peninsula. An analysis of their size revealed they were most likely made by children as they entered puberty.
“They imprinted their hands on the walls in black… which symbolized death, but that didn’t mean they were going to be killed, but rather death from a ritual perspective,” said Archeologist Sergio Grosjean [via Reuters]. “Afterwards, these children imprinted their hands in red, which was a reference to war or life,” he added.