The Maya engineering paradox: Masters of water, prisoners of mercury

Under the supervision of Université de Montréal archaeology professor Christina Halperin, Ph.D. student Jean Tremblay spent six years, from 2018 to 2024, studying how the Mayan city of Ucanal managed its drinking water. Combining geochemistry and paleolimnology, his interdisciplinary study explored the archaeological and social issues surrounding access to water and status-based disparities in a densely populated, pre-Hispanic urban environment.