An ancient Purépecha pyramid in Mexico collapsed last week — a “bad omen” the tribe’s surviving descendants warn points to impending doom.
One of the two pyramids at the Ihuatzio Archaeological Zone in the state of Michoacán partially buckled under intense rain July 29, the federal Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) said Wednesday.
The bricks on the roughly 1,100-year-old pyramid broke apart from the central part of the southern facade and spilled onto the grass.
Ramiro Aguayo. INAH
Further damage was discovered inside the pyramid, including at its core and retaining walls.
Federal experts said high temperatures are to blame for the collapse: the drought caused cracks in the pyramids that then allowed rainwater to filter into the interior of the pre-Hispanic building.
But living Purépecha tribe members say the fissure has a much more supernatural explanation.
“For our ancestors, the builders, this was a bad omen that indicated the proximity of an important event,” Tariakuiri Alvarez told The US Sun.
“Before the arrival of the conquistadors, something similar happened, which for the Purépecha worldview of that time was because the gods Nana Kuerhaepiri and K’eri Kurikweri were displeased.”
The Ihuatzio Archaeological Zone, founded around 900 AD, was considered the capital of the Purépecha peoples — especially when the tribe reached its apex of domination in the southern Mexican region between the 13th and 16th centuries.
The Purépecha’s reign came to an end during the European invasion in the early 16th century.
The pyramids were left standing and are today considered one of several major archaeological sites in the region, the Art Newspaper reported.
The IANH is continuing damage assessment of the Ihuatzio Archaeological Zone, and plans on “thoroughly repairing the structure of the building.”
Whether their work can reverse the superstitious predictions of the modern Purépecha people, however, is yet to be seen.
The jarring collapse comes just weeks after a rare white buffalo calf went missing almost immediately after its birth in Yellowstone National Park.
The newborn — which fulfills a Lakota prophecy of prosperity to come — hasn’t been seen since it was photographed with its herd in June.
It was even honored with a tribe naming ceremony, where Native Americans bestowed the name Wakan Gli onto the absentee honoree.
