Members of the Jehovah's Witnesses church have been accused to vandalizing a 7,000 year old religious site in Mexico as part of a religious campaign against devil worship, reports Telesur.
According to local media sources, recent damage at the base of a pyramid at the San Bartolo Tutotepec archeological site falls in line the destruction of altars in the area that church members have taken responsibility for.
Members of the Christian sect state that they are following the word of God and believe that the sites are still used for traditional rituals that are “not Christian” and may involve devil worship.
In fact, according to anthropologists, the sites are used by the Otomi people who hold sacred various deities including earth, water, and fire and worship by giving offerings.
The 7,000 year-old Makonikha sanctuary in the central Mexican state of Hidalgo is comparable to Mecca for Muslims or the Vatican for Catholics, the researchers explained.
Unlike the previous acts of destruction, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have not taken credit for the damage at San Bartolo Tutotepec and locals who protect the site are unsure who or how anyone accessed the holy site normally restricted to worshipers.