Why was there mercury at Teotihuacan?

The substance is thought to have ritualistic meaning and may represent a river to the underworld. While excavations of the tunnel have produced many finds, from jewelry to carved figures, archaeologists continue to hope for the discovery of a royal tomb.

What did the Aztecs use mercury for?

Joyce said the ancient Mesoamericans could produce liquid mercury by heating mercury ore, known as cinnabar, which they also used for its blood-red pigment.

What did the Egyptians believe about mercury?

Archaeologists found mercury in an Egyptian tomb dating from 1500 BC. The Egyptians and the Chinese may have been using cinnabar as a red pigment for centuries before the birth of Christ. In many civilizations mercury was used to placate or chase away evil spirits.

What was found under the Temple of the Feathered Serpent?

Hundreds of mysterious spheres lie beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, an ancient six-level step pyramid just 30 miles from Mexico City. The enigmatic spheres were found during an archaeological dig using a camera-equipped robot at one of the most important buildings in the pre-Hispanic city of Teotihuacan.

What would happen if you jumped into a pool of mercury?

Over time, the symptoms of mercury poisoning would include speech difficulties, lack of coordination, and even vision loss. And if you didn’t manage to get out of the pool, you would surely pass out and die from metal’s fumes.

Is there mercury under the pyramids?

An archaeologist has found “large quantities” of liquid mercury in a chamber beneath one of the oldest known pyramids in Mexico, The Guardian reports.

What is mercury the god of?

Mercury the swift messenger of the ancient gods. The Greek god Hermes (the Roman Mercury ) was the god of translators and interpreters. He was the most clever of the Olympian gods, and served as messenger for all the other gods. He ruled over wealth, good fortune, commerce, fertility, and thievery.

Could you stand on a pool of mercury?

However, the surface tension of mercury is only 7 times larger than the surface tension of water, so it seems unlikely that a human could walk or run on mercury without breaking the surface (unless it is possible to devise some snow-shoe like contraption to increase the lift provided by surface tension).