Ancient Maya Mercury Use May Have Come at a Severe Environmental Cost
Researchers found cinnabar pollution at Maya lakes was far more widespread than known, and mercury levels exceeded modern toxicology limits for centuries.
- Researchers obtained core samples from lakes near Coba and Xcach in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, revealing some of the highest recorded Maya-era mercury concentrations. The study, published in Science Advances, shows contamination exceeded modern toxicity regulations for centuries.
- Ancient Maya people widely used cinnabar as a pigment in murals, temples, and ceremonies, unaware the mineral was highly toxic mercury. Cinnabar likely served as a major trade commodity in Coba and Xcach, where it does not occur naturally.
- Auburn University paleolimnologist Matt Waters measured multiple biological markers, including bacteria, algae, and insect midges, which decreased or vanished in the lakes. Mercury reached "multiple levels of the food chain," Waters said.
- "Maya people might have been exposed to mercury via consumption of water," said Savanna Wooten, a postdoctoral researcher at the Jones Center at Ichauway in Georgia. Trophic movement implies potential human exposure through fish and shellfish.
- This research adds mercury poisoning to the list of environmental pressures documented during the Classic Period Maya, joining drought, deforestation, and soil erosion. While it does little to link mercury directly to the demise of Classic-era Maya cities, it provides a significant ecological stressor.
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Tourists scale Mayan Nohoch Mul on the archaeological site of Coba. REUTERS/Victor Gerardo Ruiz Garcia For the ancient Mayans, the cynabrio — a vibrant red mineral — had a profound sacred meaning, representing blood, life and soul. They used it widely as pigment in murals and temples, besides employing it in ceremonies and funeral rites. What they didn't know was that the cynabrio is mainly composed of mercury, which can be highly toxic. Previou…
Archaeological excavations reveal that a red pigment of which they were fond would have undermined their health.
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PressNewsAgencyMercury contamination found at more ancient Maya sites
Nov 6 : For the ancient Maya, the vibrant red mineral cinnabar held deep sacred meaning, representing blood, life and the soul. They used it widely as pigment in murals and temples while also employing it in ceremonies and funerary rites. What they did not know is that cinnabar is mostly mercury, which can be highly
Ancient Maya mercury use may have come at a severe environmental cost
Ancient Maya communities made extensive use of liquid mercury and a red, mercury-containing pigment called cinnabar to decorate buildings, pottery and burial sites. Unsurprisingly, as previous research has shown, this led to mercury contamination of soils and reservoirs at some Maya sites. And that pollution may have spread even farther into their territory and caused the collapse of two lake ecosystems, according to a study published in the jou…
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