I was a bit disappointed at Cecil’s answer today, as it didn’t mention the Masaya volcano. According to a PBS series called “Life on Fire”, there were sacrifices there when it was when first seen by Spanish conquistadors and missionaries 500 years ago. Not only that, but it looked a lot more like the popular idea of a sacrificing volcano, with a big crater rim and a visibly glowing lake of lava below. The missionaries apparently even constructed a cross on the crater rim believing that the lava lake was the entrance to hell itself.
Now, I realize this all came from a single source and that single source was a TV documentary, but it strkes me as unlikely that the sacrifice claim was invented to sensationalize the show. Unfortunately, after an extensive 5 minute search on Google, I have not been able to turn up any independent sources showing that human sacrifice was observed or even confirmed to have been practiced there.
So I’m curious, did this actually happen there, or is it more likely that stories coming back from Spanish missionaries were sensationalized for their own purposes? If the latter, it certainly wouldn’t be the only example of that happening. Anybody have more information on this at all?
My own problem with the idea of our Pre-Columbian bretheren turfing some virginal maiden or even gold and goodies [and copal resin] into a volcano is normally the gods preferring blood, though there is more than enough documentation of cenote offerings. There are a number of cenotes with bones and goodies in the bottom. I just do not think of South America as having the Joe and the Volcano/Hawaiian Volcano Goddess type requirements. How many active churning volcanos with Lava Pits of Hell are there in South America?
Actually from what I understand there’s quite a few in Central America, which is basically only there because of the volcanic ground built up from millennia of repeated large eruptions. As far as how many have active molten lava lakes within a formed crater, probably not as many.
It occurs to me that there’s probably a distinction between sacrifices being made onsite, and ones involving actually flinging a live human directly into the lava itself. I did find some vague reference to sacrifice and gates of hell on the Masaya Volcano National Park web site, but nothing specific. That site is here: http://ni.irias.biz/Volcanoes/Masaya/index.html
Obviously it’s less interesting if they just stabbed some poor kids next to a volcano than if they actually dropped them into the thing. Not sure why. Maybe because one would make a good movie, and the other would just be disturbing.
More recently, and “closer to home,” as it were, Mauna Kea had a crater that was full of molten lava not so very long ago–maybe 100 years ago? Mark Twain saw it and wrote about it. I don’t know if that’s the source of the “virgin sacrifice” part of the legend, but it may have been the popular culture source for that image of a volcano.
Today, villagers commemorate the event by throwing food, livestock, and money into the crater, which more practical types wait below the rim to catch.
I for one, would like to witness the folks at the bottom of the crater catching the livestock. I mean, even a small pig must build up a significant bit of momentum.
Reminds me of a skit on the National Lampoon Radio Hour where a game show host threw kitchen appliances off of a building and contestants got to keep what they caught.
I learned in Art History (1980s) that in Benin Africa, young male and female virgins are paired, celebrated, then put in a wooden structure and burned alive. This was traditional and I do not know if it still occurs.
I learned in Art History in the 1980s that in Benin Africa, young male and female virgins are (were?) paired, celebrated, then burned alive in a wooden structure. This was traditional and I do not know if it still happens. As far as I know, this was the last known traditional virgin sacrifice that went on, those Peruvian and Hawaii virgin sacrifices were historical. Likely there are still scattered virgin sacrifices world wide, even in USA, mostly illegal now.
“Today, villagers commemorate the event by throwing food, livestock, and money into the crater, which more practical types wait below the rim to catch.”
I, for one, would like to see these “practical types” trying to catch livestock.