The images are "before and after" photos of the "El Castillo" step-pyramid at Chichen Itza.
The lower photo reveals the incredible workmanship and brings to mind the probably decades of human labor required to create this magnificent structure. The upper photo shows how the natural world "reclaimed" the pyramid during a thousand years of rampant growth, giving just a hint of what can be accomplished given enough time. Extend that to tens of thousands of years, or hundreds, and wonder how much of the "anthropocene" will be detectable in our planet's future.
The World Without Us by Alan Weisman brilliantly explores your last question, Minnesotastan. I highly recommend it.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.amazon.com/World-Without-Us-Alan-Weisman/dp/0312427905/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2UWT7U1CC6UBF&keywords=the+world+without+us&qid=1572890347&sprefix=the+world+wi%2Caps%2C217&sr=8-1
The top photo is not only more fascinating but also illustrates why it can be difficult for archaeologists to find lost monuments. European archaeologists presumed the cenote near Chichen Itza to be a myth until they almost literally stumbled into it.
ReplyDelete