5. There is pictorial and archaeological evidence that the Aztecs practiced ritual cannibalism
The Aztecs left behind records of their empire in the form of pictorials. Called codices, these and the records of the Spanish have long been debated as to what they represent. The Spanish reported the practice of cannibalism being observed, and the codices confirm it, though some scholars took a different view over the years. Archaeological excavations in the early 21st century produced evidence that the Aztecs (and the Mayans) practiced cannibalism, of both enemies and of their own children, up until the time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. A codex painted by Aztec artists in the 1500s depicted human body parts in what appeared to be cooking dishes. In 2005 several dishes were discovered during an archaeological expedition which matched those of the codex.
Skeletons and bones discovered in the remains of known Aztec communities revealed a heavy amount of carbonization, indicating they were burned, not in itself proof of cannibalism, but other human bones including those of children bore cutting marks consistent with butchering. In Aztec culture children below the age of ten were considered to be innocent and pure, thus their sacrifice was more pleasing to the gods than was the sacrifice of a peasant or slave. One burial pit excavated by archaeologists revealed the skeletal remains of eight children, apparently all killed at the same time, with four revealing evidence of the body completely burned, consistent with cremation of the flesh, and four only partly burned, indicative of searing the flesh, but not destroying it to ashes.