The Mayans dug too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dûm.
They were mining it for more advanced beings. Gold and Mercury both.
What do contemporary Americans blame for the downfall of the USA? Cocaine? Fentanyl? Heroin? Racism? Political corruption? The luxurious lifestyle provided for them by their ancestors?
Whatever it is, the basic cause is a moral failure of the American People.
Contemporary Americans are 100% to blame for the destruction of America and the priceless inheritance bequeathed them by their forefathers.
Contemporary Americans have all the resources their ancestors had and could restore all the promise of America and the American Dream. All they need is the courage and moral strength. Can they muster that? Time will tell.
Sometimes I think Washington is awash in mercury.
Vermillion Pigment -
Vermillion Flycatcher -
Vermillion Starfish -
Vermillion Peak - in the San Juan Range, and is the 74th highest mountain in Colorado. -
Vermillion Abstract - artwork. -
Vermillion Dusk - more art. -
Cinnabar / Cinnabarite / Mercury Sulfide -
.
Et-cetera.
Thank God for the Spanish Conquistadors. For having wipes out the evil Aztecs and Incas. Viva Espana.
p
May have. Maybe. Kind of sort of, Perhaps. Could have.
''...a bulbous vessel retrieved from an underwater site in Guatemala holding as much as 500 cubic centimeters of elemental mercury..."
We used to play with it as kids. Use it in high school labs. Really need that adjective, bulbous. Helps. As to "as much as," a lovely kind of sort of. As to 500 cubic centimeters, sounds like a lot! Right? That's a bit more than a pint. Today, online, about $100 worth, delivered to your home or classroom....
Source: https://www.grainger.com/product/8ZL32?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231
“much the way that leaded gasoline blunted the IQs of tens of millions of Americans before it was phased out? “
What is the excuse now for all the blunted IQ Americans?
As ways to poison your empire with heavy metals goes, mercury is cooler than lead. Romans at least can claim some practical usage of lead in plumbing but it was lead acetate used to sweeten the wine that really did them in.
Fast & Bulbous
In Santa Clara County, CA, we have the New Almaden mine that was named after the Almaden mercury mine in Spain. The (old) Almadén, Spain mine had operated since at least Roman times. It is now the Almaden Quicksilver County Park and has some spectacular hiking. You still see cinnabar ore outcroppings all over the place. The mine was a major player in the California Gold Rush as the mercury creates an amalgam with gold to remove the gold from the crushed rock.
By 1863, the mine was a huge operation:
Today, there are three ghost towns there and an old retort that stopped operating in the 1970s. You can still see the rotary ore furnace and the condensers that condensed the mercury vapor. Unfortunately it is falling into ruins and much of it will collapse in the coming years.
