UNVEILING THE MYSTERIES OF MAYA COLOR: CHARACTERIZATION OF CLASSIC MAYA CERAMIC VESSEL PIGMENTS

Abstract

Little is known about the chemical composition of Classic Maya ceramic vessel pigments. Red and ‘fugitive green’ pigments were characterized by a number of methods. Infrared spectroscopy (IR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) were collected for the red pigments. Most red pigments were found to contain hematite, suggesting that this iron oxide mineral is the primary colorant in the red pigments of the Maya. ‘Fugitive green’ pigments were characterized with x-ray fluorescence (XRF) microscopy. Elemental maps showed high concentrations of Ca and Mn in the ‘green’ pigments. Some ‘greens’ may have been green; others were always gray.