It seems that in the ancient Cocla culture, which inhabited the Panama area between 200 BC and 1550 AD, the elite did not worry much about solitude in the afterlife.

For example, in the tomb of the young ruler Cocle in the valley of the Rio Grande, which is approximately 1200 years old, archaeologists found evidence of a terrible ritual of the nobleman.

They found that leaders and nobility within that culture were buried alongside their loved ones, such as servants or beloved wives, who were sacrificed during the burial ceremony.

In the tomb of the ruler of Cocle, discovered in 2011 in the country of El Cano, there was a pile of gold objects, but also the bones of dozens of people. The ruler himself was buried face down and was over the body of a woman.

During the excavations, which they have been conducting for the past ten years at the site of El Cano and the nearby Sitio Conte, archaeologists have found numerous graves in which there was more than one body.

But, nothing surpassed the luxurious burial of the young ruler around the year 750, writes sciencealert.

The luxuries found in his tomb probably had a religious meaning. Among the pieces of pottery were found two belts of gold beads, four bracelets, two earrings in the shape of a man and a woman, one earring in the shape of a crocodile, a necklace of beads, five earrings with whale teeth, two gold plates, two bells, skirts and bracelets of made with dog teeth.

As excavations at this unusual site have not yet been completed, perhaps the number of sacrificed followers of the Cocle ruler may increase.

Archaeologists assume that 8 to 30 people were buried near him. It is necessary to carry out a genetic analysis of the bones to determine the exact number of individuals, that is, to find out which bones belong to which person