On the night of July 29, 2024, a 15-meter tall square monument in Michoacán, Mexico, suddenly collapsed under the pressure of incessant rains. Knowe of Swandro pictish house looking out towards Costa Hill on the mainland Orkney. 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 […]