Extreme weather events and rising sea levels are threatening precious heritage sites around the world. Mexico’s Jewel Pyramid is the latest pyramid to succumb to an increasingly chaotic global climate. On the night of July 29, the 15-meter (about 50-foot) square monument in Michoacán state suddenly collapsed under the pressure of incessant rain, its southern wall reduced to a pile of debris.

The pyramid was once one of the best preserved monuments of the civilization of the kingdom of Michoacan. It is located in Iuazio, a well-preserved archaeological site that includes another pyramid, a tower or fortress and several tombs. It was first settled by indigenous groups speaking the Nahuatl language 1,100 years ago. It later became the headquarters of the P’urhepechas people, the only empire that the Aztecs could not conquer. The culture flourishes to this day.

Only one of the pyramids at the site was damaged, but staff at Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) say at least six of the “stepped trunks,” including the outer wall, core and buttresses, are in disrepair. They blame extreme weather events in recent weeks. Heavy rains and thunderstorms lashed much of Mexico in July, the height of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. It came after the country’s worst drought in 30 years, with very little rain and many lakes completely dry.

“The high temperatures previously recorded in the area and the subsequent drought caused cracks that allowed water to filter through the pre-Hispanic building,” INAH said in a statement.

From that moment on, collapse was almost inevitable. Authorities are now focused on restoring the structure “for the benefit of Mexican cultural heritage.” Archaeologists’ job is to study the behavior of people in the past, but inevitably their work is also affected by modern human activities.

Extreme weather and rising sea levels caused by anthropogenic climate change have proven to be a major burden to important sites of past cultures. Archaeologists recently discovered that ancient rock art in Oceania is deteriorating as climate change accelerates.

Just this year, a study of ancient building materials in Europe and Mexico found that these buildings were at risk of damage if rainfall increased significantly. According to Tariaquiri Alvarez, who identifies as a living member of the Purhepecha tribe, his ancestors viewed the collapse of the pyramid at Iuazio as a “bad omen.”

In a recent Facebook post, Alvarez said something similar happened before foreign conquerors arrived in Mexico, and that it was because the gods were “displeased.” Just days before the pyramid collapse in Mexico, Utah’s iconic “Double Arch” also collapsed, likely due to changing water levels and erosion.

Such heritage sites are priceless places that people want to preserve for future generations. Watching them crumble in an environment that our behaviour has drastically changed is a sickening sight, and not just for the immortals.