In 2024, an ancient stone pyramid in Mexico collapsed, highlighting how climate change, extreme weather events and rising seas endanger heritage sites worldwide.
On the night of July 29 last year, relentless rainfall brought down a 15-meter (50-foot) pre-Hispanic stone pyramid in Mexico’s Michoacán state, reducing its southern wall to a heap of rubble.
Ihuatzio Archaeological Site
This once-sturdy monument, one of the best-preserved relics of the ancient Michoacán Kingdom, stood within the Ihuatzio archaeological site—home to another pyramid, a tower or fortress, and tombs.
Initially settled 1,100 years ago by indigenous Nahuatl-speaking communities, Ihuatzio later became the seat of the P’urhépechas—an empire notable for resisting Aztec domination.
The P’urhépecha culture continues to thrive today, with its descendants still deeply connected to the land and its heritage.
The damage from this recent collapse was limited to one of the site’s pyramids, but the toll was still significant.
Extreme Weather Events Blamed
Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) reported that at least six of the pyramid’s stepped levels are in various states of disrepair, including both its outer and inner structural elements.
INAH officials attributed the pyramid collapse in Mexico to a series of extreme weather events due to climate change.
July brought intense rainfall and thunderstorms across much of Mexico, following the nation’s most severe drought in three decades. The preceding drought had dried up lakes and left deep cracks in pre-Hispanic structures.
According to INAH, those fissures allowed water to seep into the pyramid’s core once the rains returned—ultimately triggering its collapse.
“The high temperatures, previously recorded in the area, and the consequent drought caused cracks that favored the filtration of water into the interior of the pre-Hispanic building,” the agency explained in a statement.
Efforts Underway To Restore
Now, conservation teams are focused on stabilising and restoring the pyramid to protect what remains of its cultural value.
While archaeologists typically study human history through artifacts and ruins, they’re increasingly forced to confront modern human-driven challenges—chief among them, climate change.
The collapse of the Ihuatzio pyramid is not an isolated case but part of a growing pattern of destruction affecting ancient sites around the world.
Recent discoveries show that prehistoric cave art in Oceania is deteriorating at alarming rates due to intensifying climate patterns.
Extreme Rainfall Heightening Risk
Likewise, a 2024 international study on cultural heritage materials concluded that increased rainfall significantly heightens the risk of deterioration in buildings across Europe and Mexico.
The incident in Mexico came just days after another climate-related cultural loss: Utah’s iconic ‘Double Arch’ collapsed, likely due to erosion and shifting water levels.
As extreme weather becomes more frequent and severe, cultural landmarks across the globe are becoming increasingly vulnerable.
