Extreme weather events and rising sea levels threaten valuable heritage sites around the world. A striking example of this phenomenon in 2024 was the stone pyramid in Mexico, which succumbed to an increasingly chaotic global climate.
On the night of July 29, a 15-meter (about 50 feet high) square monument in the state of Michoacán suddenly collapsed under the pressure of incessant rain, reducing its south wall to a pile of rubble.
The pyramid was once one of the best-preserved monuments of the Kingdom of Michoacan civilization. Another pyramid is located at Iuatzio, an excellently preserved archaeological site containing a tower or citadel and several tombs.
It was first occupied by local Nahuatl-speaking groups 1,100 years ago. It later became the headquarters of the P’urhepechas people, the only empire the Aztecs failed to conquer. The culture is developing to this day.
Only one of the pyramids at the site was damaged, but officials at Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said at least six of the “stepped bodies,” including the outer wall, core and retaining wall, were in disrepair. . They blamed the extreme weather conditions before the incident.
In July, at the height of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, showers and thunderstorms hit much of Mexico. This follows the country’s worst drought in 30 years, when too little rain led to many lakes drying up.
“High temperatures previously recorded in the region and subsequent drought caused cracks that allowed water to filter through the pre-Hispanic building,” INAH said in a statement. he said.
After that, collapse became almost inevitable. Officials are now focused on repairing the building’s structure “for the benefit of Mexican cultural heritage.” The work of archaeologists consists of studying the behavior of people in past times, but their work is inevitably influenced by modern human activities.
Extreme weather conditions and rising sea levels caused by anthropogenic climate change are becoming a serious problem for important monuments of past cultures. Archaeologists recently discovered that ancient cave paintings in Oceania are deteriorating as climate change accelerates.
This year, a study of historic building materials in Europe and Mexico found that these buildings are at risk of damage if rainfall increases significantly. According to Tariaquiri Álvarez, who considers himself a living member of the Piurhepecha tribe, his ancestors must have viewed the destruction of the pyramid at Iuatzio as a “bad omen.”
In his Facebook post, Álvarez said something similar happened before foreign conquerors came to Mexico, and it was because the gods were “displeased.” Just days before the pyramid collapse in Mexico, Utah’s iconic Double Arch also collapsed, likely due to changing water levels and erosion.
Such heritage sites are priceless places that people want to preserve for future generations. It’s unpleasant to watch them crumble, and not just for the undead, as a climate is radically altered by our own actions. A previous version of this article was published in August 2024.
Source: Port Altele
