Among the diverse archaeological relics of the past, the Cartagena de Indias Wall is one of the greatest representations of European cultural architecture in South America. To assess the implication of contamination on the depreciation of the culturally significant Wall of Cartagena de Indias - Colombia, a detailed, multi-analytical approach was conducted on components of the wall. Accumulated ultra-fine particles (UFPs) and superficial nano-particles (NPs) containing hazardous elements (HEs) on the wall were identified in an attempt to understand whether atmospheric pollution is hastening the depreciation of the structure itself. Mortar which at one point held the stones together is now weak and has fallen away in places. Irreparable damage is being done by salt spray, acid rain and the site’s tropical humid climate. Several HEs and organic compounds found within the local environment are also contributing to the gradual deterioration of the construction. In this study, advanced microscopy analyses have been applied to understand the properties of UFPs and NPs deposited onto the wall’s weathered external walls through exposure to atmospheric pollution. Several materials identified by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) can be detected using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The presence of anglesite, gypsum, hematite containing HEs, and several organic compounds modified due to moisture and contamination was found. Black crusts located on the structure could potentially serve as a source of HEs pollution and a probable hazard to not only to the ecosystem but also to human health.

在过去的各种考古文物中，卡塔赫纳印度墙是南美欧洲文化建筑的最大代表之一。为了评估污染对具有文化意义的印度卡塔赫纳墙-哥伦比亚贬值的影响，对墙的各个组成部分进行了详细的多分析方法。为了了解大气污染是否正在加速结构本身的贬值，鉴定出了壁上累积的超细颗粒（UFPs）和表面含有有害元素（HEs）的表面纳米颗粒（NPs）。曾一度将石头粘合在一起的砂浆现在很软弱，在某些地方已经脱落。盐雾，酸雨和该地点的热带潮湿气候正在造成无法弥补的破坏。在当地环境中发现的几种HE和有机化合物也导致建筑的逐渐恶化。在这项研究中，先进的显微镜分析已被用于了解通过暴露于大气污染而沉积在墙的风化外墙上的UFP和NP的特性。可以使用高分辨率透射电子显微镜（HR-TEM）和场发射扫描电子显微镜（FE-SEM）检测通过X射线衍射（XRD）识别的几种材料。发现存在角铁，石膏，含赤铁矿的HEs，以及由于水分和污染而改性的几种有机化合物。结构上的黑皮可能会成为HE污染的来源，不仅可能危害生态系统，而且可能危害人类健康。