Religious Atavism, Human Sacrifices and Cultural Defense: The Painecura Case (1962)]

Abstract

In 1960 there was a mega-earthquake which also produced a tsunami of great proportions.  In order to stop the catastrophe, an indigenous community performed a human sacrifice, which was intended “to please nature”.  The criminal court acquitted the defendants because they were motivated by an irresistible natural force which amounted to some sort of duress.  The cultural aspect played a relevant role in this judgment.