Funerary colors in Pre-classical Maya culture: the red pigment in the 19th tomb of Rio Azul (Peten, Guatemala)

Heritage Science

Antonio Doménech-Carbó¹  María Luisa Vázquez de Agredos-Pascual²  Cristina Vidal-Lorenzo²  Nuria Guasch-Ferré³  María Teresa Doménech-Carbó³  Laura Osete-Cortina³ 

[1] Departament de Química Analítica, Universitat de València;Departament d’Historia de l’Art, Universitat de València;Institut de Restauració del Patrimoni, Universitat Politècnica de València;

关键词: Funerary colors;    Aromatics;    Mesoamerica;    Maya culture;    Tomb 19;    Rio Azul;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40494-020-00386-z

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract The pigments were important in the funerary customs of the ancient Maya. They could be introduced as an offering inside the tombs or burials, and were also used to wrap the dead bodies, as if it were a funeral shroud. In the tombs and burials of royalty and high social classes the use of pigments for this purpose is well documented, and physicochemical studies are focused on their identification. This scientific contribution shows the results obtained when analyzing two reddish pigmenting materials from the grave goods of the tomb 19 of the archaeological site of Rio Azul, (Guatemalan Department of Petén), using a multi-technique approach including microscopy, diffraction, spectroscopic, electrochemical and chromatographic techniques. The results have enabled the identification of the inorganic and organic materials composing these pigmenting materials found in a ceramic posthumous offering dish and further discussion mainly has been focused on the geological source of the inorganic materials and the possible origin of the organic matter accompanying these two pigmenting materials.

【 授权许可】

Unknown