MICHOACAN, MEXICO—A section of a pyramid at the Ihuatzio Archaeological Zone, which is located in western Mexico near Lake Pátzcuaro, collapsed during heavy rain, according to an Artnet News report. The pyramid was constructed on a platform by the ancestors of the modern Purépecha people some 1,100 years ago, and is thought to have been used for human sacrifices to Curicaueri, a deity associated with victory and sunlight. Researchers from the Michoacan Center of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said that water seeped into cracks in the pyramid brought about by high temperatures and prolonged droughts. The ensuing collapse has damaged both the inside and the outside of the structure. INAH officials continue to assess the damage and plan to repair the pyramid. To read about the monarch butterfly migration to Michoacan and the importance of butterflies in ancient Mesoamerica, go to “Mexico’s Butterfly Warriors.”
