This distinction between what the genetics shows and what remains interpretive is not a limitation of the study — it is honest science.

The study’s authors were clear about what the genetic data established and appropriately cautious about the interpretive frameworks through which those findings were contextualized.

The ritual interpretation also must be placed within a broader understanding of Maya society that resists reduction to a single dimension.

Chichén Itzá was a city with a complex economy, sophisticated political organization, extensive trade connections, impressive achievements in architecture, astronomy, and written communication, and a rich and layered religious culture.

The ritual practices that may have included the sacrifice of children were part of this complex society, not the defining feature of it.