Mesoamerica's workshop on the effects of air pollution on the Mayan heritage monuments

摘要

The first International Workshop on the Influences of Air Quality on the MayanHeritage Sites in Mesoamerica took place in Cancun Q. Roo, Mexico, with the supportof the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT, México) and theNational Science Foundation (NSF-USA). Organized by the National University ofMéxico and the University of Cincinnati with the participation of the National Instituteof Anthropology and History (INAH) from the 16th to 21st of October 2005. However, itwas interrupted for few hours due to the presence of the Hurricane Wilma, and restoredon October 20th in Merida, Yucatan; the program was completed with a few badexperiences.The goal of this workshop was to form an interdisciplinary and multicultural group toshare a common experience and knowledge, concerning the potential deterioration ofthe Mayan Monuments, in order to find effective ways which can be used to evaluated,minimize and solve potential effects of acid rain on monuments in Mesoamerica.Considering the information generated by the Environmental Pollution Section of theCenter for Atmospheric Sciences of the University of Mexico, since 1980; (related toacid deposition in Mexico), the concern was on the possible effects of the aciddeposition on the construction material of the Mayan, Precolumbian and Spanishmonuments, as most of these materials have a great content of limestone.This workshop was attended by both archeologists from Mexico and Guatemala, and airpollution researchers from Mexico and USA. For most of participants this was the firstopportunity to learn about each other′s research. Some of the significant points raisedwere:1. The pH of rain has been found to be as low as 4.3 in the archeological site in El Tajín,Mexico.2. Field measurements have focused only on acidity of rainwater and not the potential fordry deposition.3. Air pollution can contribute to monument biodegradation by providing acidic speciesthat decompose limestone and nutrients than enhance biological degradation.