Ancient pyramid collapse in Mexico due to severe climate change - is it a 'bad omen'?

A 1,100-year-old pyramid in Mexico collapsed due to damage caused by heavy rainfall that came after by a prolonged drought.

Located in the Ihuatzio archaelogical site in Michoacán, the pyramid, a major monument of the Purépecha civilisation, crumbled on 29 July, 2024. This historical zone is remarkably preserved and also contains one other pyramid, a tower or fortress, and tombs.

The stone pyramid measured 15 metres and on the night of the collapse, its south wall was reduced to a pile of rubble. The pyramid had survived for centuries and was once one of the best-preserved monuments of the region’s history.

The south wall of the pyramid collapsedRamiro Aguayo/INAH

Extreme weather was blamed for the collapse. In July last year, Mexico was hit with heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. This followed the worst drought the nation had experienced in 30 years.

"The high temperatures previously recorded in the area and the resulting drought caused cracks that favoured the filtration of water into the interior of the pre-Hispanic building," Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said in a translated statement about the crumbling pyramid.

The pyramid survived 1,100 years before the collapseRamiro Aguayo/INAH

A descendent of the Purépecha tribe said his ancestors would have interpreted the collapse of the pyramid as a “bad omen”.

Tariakuiri Alvarez said in a Facebook post that something similar happened prior to the arrival of foreign conquerors in Mexico.

Climate change, caused by humans, is leading to extreme weather and rising seas. Officials are now working to repair the structure of the building, “in favour of the cultural heritage of Mexicans.”

You should also read:

• 'World’s oldest pyramid' built 25,000 years ago was not made by humans, archaeologists claim
• Space discovery shows that the pyramids were built using ingenious method

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