Abstract
From the prefabricated wooden huts of Antarctic explorers in the early 20th century to the enduring limestone ruins of the Mayan city Ek’ Balam (Black Jaguar) built more than 1,200 years ago (Fig. 1), conservators, archaeologists, and other specialists are striving to understand and combat the physical, chemical, and biological processes responsible for the deterioration of these historic structures and artifacts. Each of these sites represents a cultural trove, one as a testament to a lost civilization and the other as a tribute to a bygone era of exploration. Separated by more than 10,000 km and residing in two very different climates, these sites were constructed of drastically different materials. Yet the artifacts at each location are slowly wasting away, presenting two very different cases of biodeterioration that reflect distinct microbial communities and modes of decomposition.
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