A team from the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found sophisticated water filters, made from natural materials, built by the ancient Maya civilization in its old city of Tikal, now in Guatemala.
The research team from UC discovered traces of a filtration system from the remains of the Corriental reservoir, one of the un-dredged reservoirs that provided drinking water for the ancient Maya who lived in what is now part of Flores, Peten Department in northern Guatemala.
Composed of anthropologists, geographers, and biologists from the Ohio-based institute discovered crystalline quartz and zeolite samples, which are non-native in Tikal. It suggests that these were imported several miles from the ancient city. Quartz and zeolite - a crystalline compound containing silicon (Si) and aluminum (Al) - create a natural molecular filter and are still used in modern technologies.
A Modern Filter Technology from 2,000 Years Ago
Kenneth Barnett Tankersley, the lead author of the study and an associate professor of anthropology from UC, explained that the filter system might have removed toxins from water such as heavy metals and nitrogen-laden compounds and microbes.
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"What's interesting is this system would still be effective today and the Maya discovered it more than 2,000 years ago," Tankersley noted.
The details of their findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports on Thursday, October 22. The Maya who lived in Tikal built the reservoirs, including their filtration systems, almost 2,000 years before Europeans developed similar systems. Tankersley said that this might be among the oldest water treatment systems ever discovered.
Researchers traced the quartz and zeolite samples to the ridges surrounding Bajo de Azucar, which sits almost 29 kilometers, or 18 miles, northeast of Tikal. To identify the presence of these materials, they used X-ray diffraction analysis - a non-destructive used for studying crystalline materials - on the reservoir sediments. These same substances were only found in the Corriental reservoir in the once-bustling city.
Sustaining Life for the Maya
For the ancient Mesoamerican civilization, the collection and storage of clean water were an important part of its cities' development and sustenance. Tikal, like most Maya cities, were built on top of porous limestone layers. Its porosity allowed drinking water to be difficult to retain most of the time, especially during droughts.
According to a UC news release, a geography professor and study author Nicholas Dunning, whose work focused on ancient civilizations, discovered the filter materials ten years ago in Guatemala. He recalled the area being "an exposed, weathered volcanic tuff of quartz grains and zeolite."
"Workers refilled their water bottles with it. It was locally famous for how clean and sweet the water was," Dunning added. He took samples of this material, which later matched the minerals from the Tikal reservoir. Dunning inferred that it was because of "very clever empirical observation" that the Maya saw its use and brought it back to Tikal.
"They had settling tanks where the water would be flowing toward the reservoir before entering the reservoir," Dunning added. "The water probably looked cleaner and probably tasted better, too."
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Check out more news and information on the Maya Civilization in Science Times.
