"due to the frequent use of mercury […] by the Maya of the Classic Period, between 250 and 1100 CE […] pollution is in places so heavy that even today, it poses a potential health hazard
[…]
ancient Maya frequently used cinnabar and mercury-containing paints and powders for decoration. This mercury could then have leached […] into the soil and water. […] just like we live today in the Anthropocene, there also was a […] #Mayacene."

https://blog.frontiersin.org/2022/09/23/frontiers-environmental-science-maya-cities-polluted-with-ancient-mercury/
#Maya #Mercury #Mesoamerica #Archaeology

Fascinating: the "#Mayacene" era might've resulted in the society collapsing due to mercury poisoning https://blog.frontiersin.org/2022/09/23/frontiers-environmental-science-maya-cities-polluted-with-ancient-mercury/