Maya Cinnabar Poisoned Two Yucatán Lakes With Mercury for Centuries, Sediment Cores Show
Nature World News | 10.11.2026 11:06
The brilliant red that colored Maya temples, tombs, and ritual objects carried a hidden cost — one recorded in the mud of nearby lakes. Mud from two lakes on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula shows mercury pollution reached toxic levels and persisted for centuries during the height of Maya civilization, according to a study published Nov. 4 in Science Advances.
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