Mer. Gen 8th, 2025

On the night of July 29, 2024, a 15-meter tall square monument in Michoacán, Mexico, suddenly collapsed under the pressure of incessant rains. The pyramid was once one of the best-preserved monuments of the Kingdom of Michoacán civilization, underscoring the cultural heritage now at risk due to climate change. The pyramid is located in Ihuatzio, a well-preserved archaeological site that contains another pyramid, a tower or fortress, and some tombs.According to a statement from the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH), the damage was attributed to extreme weather events. High temperatures previously recorded in the area and the resulting drought caused cracks that favored water infiltration inside the pre-Hispanic building. “From there, the collapse became almost inevitable,” said INAH, according to Scienze Notizie. The staff of INAH stated that at least six of the site’s stepped bodies are in poor condition, including the outer wall, the core, and the retaining wall. Officials are now focused on repairing the building’s structure in favor of Mexican cultural heritage.During the peak of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, heavy rains and thunderstorms struck much of Mexico, with annual maximum one-day precipitation indicating the intensity of this heavy rain. This occurred after the worst drought in Mexico in the last 30 years, when the rains became so scarce that several lakes completely dried up. These extreme weather events demonstrate the increasing threats that climate change poses to cultural heritage sites worldwide. Just before the pyramid in Mexico collapsed, the iconic Doubre Arch in Utah also collapsed, probably due to changes in water levels and erosion.Local communities are deeply affected by these losses. According to Tariakuiri Alvarez, who identifies as a living member of the Purépecha tribe, their ancestors would have interpreted the collapse of the pyramid at Ihuatzio as a bad omen. In a post on Facebook, Alvarez stated that before the arrival of foreign conquerors in Mexico, something similar had happened, and it was because the gods were unhappy.Across the globe, other archaeological sites face similar threats from climate change. In the Arctic, indigenous artifacts are being destroyed as the permafrost thaws due to rising temperatures, with thaw depth several tens of centimeters deeper in many places than it was 30 years ago. Measurements document that the permafrost is thawing deeper than before, with new records set in 2024, according to NRK Forhold.Researchers at Svalbard are witnessing the rapid deterioration of archaeological cultural heritage sites. “They are simply rotting faster,” said Lise Loktu, an archaeologist and researcher at Svalbard Museum, according to NRK Forhold. Loktu explains that warmer climate is causing textiles to deteriorate faster than before. “It is about the permafrost thawing deeper in the summer. There is also leaching from the sea and the ground is cracking. Then you 

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