Ancient Mayan City Water Filtration System
The surprisingly effective water filtration system used by an ancient
Mayan city
.
The
Mayans had to develop a system of reservoirs around the city to meet the city’s
water needs. Scientists discovered a quartz and zeolite filter at one end of
one of these reservoirs, called Corriental. Quartz acts as a sieve to filter
out pollutants in water. Zeolite is a
naturally occurring volcanic mineral. Because of its high pore density,
Zeolite also absorbs particles in water. The combination of crystalline quartz
and zeolite would have effectively purified the water in the Corriental
reservoir from harmful blue-green algae, microbes, and other toxins. These
toxins threaten water today.
By En Qi Teo, Staff Researcher & Writer at Save The Water™
Human societies have made
enormous technological leaps, especially in the 21st century.
Because of the technological
prowess of the modern age, when we think of ancient civilizations, we don’t
often marvel at the sophistication of their technology.
However, scientists recently
discovered that the ancient Maya used a water filtration system so effective
that it could still be adopted today.
Ancient Water Filtration
Systems
Before 500 BC, humans had already begun using natural
mineral resources for water purification and had pioneered distillation as a
water filtration technique.
Scientists have found that in India people crushed
seeds from the Moringa tree to reduce the cloudiness of water.
This method was found to be
effective in reducing bacteria in water by over 90 percent.
Why should we be concerned
about ancient water filtration systems?
Simply stated, today we need to
meet the urgent clean water needs of disadvantaged populations.
In 2019, UNICEF and WHO estimated that 1 in 3 people don’t have
access to clean drinking water.
While many cities have advanced
water filtration technologies and can use methods like adding chemicals such as
chlorine to disinfect water, the developing world may find these
technologies prohibitively costly.
Therefore, scientists look to
ancient water filtration techniques for guidance as to how water may be
purified through more natural and less expensive methods.
As a result of these efforts,
clean drinking water may be provided to more people.
The Discovery of a Water
Filtration System in Tikal
The ancient city of Tikal is
situated in modern-day Guatemala.
Recently, an excavation
uncovered how this Mayan city purified water to meet their drinking needs.
Before this, the scientists explain that some people believed that the Mayans
didn’t have any formal water filtration systems from a lack of data.
Comparatively, documented
evidence showed how societies in Egypt, Greece, and South Asia obtained clean
drinking water through using sand, gravel, plant, and cloth filtration systems.
Also, it has been found that
ancient societies in North America used distillation to filter contaminants
from spring water.
Previously, scientists
conducted excavations in single test pits in only a few dozen of the ancient
Mayan reservoirs.
Despite this, the excavation in
Tikal explored one of the largest storage facilities of Mayan drinking water.
This led to discovering the oldest
water filtration system in the Western hemisphere, which is also believed to be the most
advanced among ancient civilizations.
How Did the Ancient City of
Tikal Filter Water?
Many frequently refer to Tikal
as the capital of ancient Maya.
Although Tikal is not situated near any large
water bodies, it contains a large human population of about 60,000 people.
As a result, the Mayans had to
develop a system of reservoirs around the city to meet the city’s water needs.
Scientists discovered a quartz
and zeolite filter at one end of one of these reservoirs, called Corriental.
Quartz acts as a sieve to filter out pollutants in
water.
Zeolite is a naturally
occurring volcanic mineral.
Because of its high pore
density, Zeolite also absorbs particles in water.
The combination of crystalline
quartz and zeolite would have effectively purified the water in the Corriental reservoir
from harmful blue-green algae, microbes, and other toxins.
These toxins threaten water today.
What are the Next Steps After
This Scientific Discovery?
The scientists involved in
research on the water filtration system applied in the Corriental reservoir intend to continue to look for
evidence that this system was also used in other Maya sites.
As zeolite is not a mineral
naturally found in the city of Tikal, the Mayans likely brought it back after
they had observed its effectiveness in water filtration.
This may mean that Mayans in other sites had similarly adopted this technology.
The
mission of Save The Water™ is to conduct water research to identify and remove
harmful contaminants in water, and to raise public awareness about water
contamination and its health impacts.
Although Save The Water™ operates mainly in North America and follows scientific procedures established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the impact of our analytical research and water treatment technology is universally applicable.
In
the late 1990s, our co-founder Frank Ramos came across information about
cancer-causing chemicals in whales and dolphins. Specifically, he learned two
facts: (1) whales and dolphins’ fat tissue contains 1,000 times more man-made,
highly toxic chemicals (such as those found in rubber and plastics) than our
human tissue; and (2) these creatures are collecting these chemicals through
the water in which they live. Frank and his dear friend Allan founded Save the
Water™ in 1999. Together, they spent ten years researching water contamination
in the U.S., its extent, and the critical need to solve the problem. In July
2013, Save the Water suffered a devastating loss when Allan passed away after a
long battle with cancer. Studies have shown that many many cancers are linked
to environmental factors such as the water that we drink, including in the
United States. Losing Allan reinforced the belief that we must take immediate
actions to combat water pollution and continue our mission until we have
achieved and sustained our vision: contamination-free, healthy water for all.
We believe that this future is within our grasp. But we need your help to
achieve this goal for our children and future generations.
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