Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-skm99 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T22:50:32.229Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Technological and Material Characterization of Lapidary Artifacts from Tamtoc Archaeological Site, Mexico

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 August 2012

Emiliano Melgar
Affiliation:
Museo del Templo Mayor, Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, INAH. Seminario No. 8, Centro Histórico, Mexico DF 06060, Mexico. e-mail: anubismarino@gmail.com
Reyna Solís
Affiliation:
Museo del Templo Mayor, Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, INAH. Seminario No. 8, Centro Histórico, Mexico DF 06060, Mexico. e-mail: anubismarino@gmail.com
José Luis Ruvalcaba
Affiliation:
Instituto de Física, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM. Apdo. Postal 20-364, Mexico DF 01000, Mexico. e-mail: sil@fisica.unam.mx
Get access

Abstract

Tamtoc is a very important archaeological site in San Luis Potosi, in the Central region of Mexico. The pre-Hispanic Huastec culture developed in this site (900-1100 A.D.). During the archaeological excavations, a large amount of lithic artifacts were recovered from burials and offerings. Among them, pieces of semitransparent crystalline objects of color blue, green, yellow and white and green stone pieces were discovered in one of the most important ceremonial precinct, inside a water reservoir of the monument 32 “The Priestess”. The aim of this work is to measure the composition of the artifacts for provenance study and to establish the manufacturing technique and tools used to produce them. For material analysis, a combined analysis involving X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Raman spectroscopy was applied. The main elements as well as some traces can be measured by XRF while the mineral identification can be established by Raman. The results indicate that most of the pieces are calcite with traces of rare elements.

On the other hand, experimental archaeology using a well established methodology of optical and electron microscopy examination of the manufacturing traces was applied. From this technological study the specific use of tools and materials were established for this site.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Ruvalcaba, J. L., Filloy, L., Vaggli, M., Tapia, L., Sánchez, R., Estudio no destructivo in situ de la Máscara de Malinaltepec, in: La Máscara de Malinaltepec, ed. Martínez, S., Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, INAH, Mexico, 2010, 153168.Google Scholar
Ruvalcaba, J.L., Ramírez, D., Aguilar, V. and Picazo, F.. X-Ray Spectrometry. 39 (2010) 338345.Google Scholar
Aoyama, K.. Latin American Antiquity 18 (2007) 326.Google Scholar
Kovacevich, B.. Ritual, Crafting, and Agency at the Classic Maya Kingdom of Cancuen, in: Mesoamerican Ritual Economy. Archaeological and Ethnological Perspectives, Wells, E.C. and Davis, K. L., Boulder eds, 2007, 67114.Google Scholar
Rochette, E.. Archaeological Papers of the AAA 19 (2009) 205224 Google Scholar
Sahagún, F. B.. Historia General de las Cosas de Nueva España, Ed. Porrúa, Mexico, 1956.Google Scholar
Velázquez Castro, A., La producción especializada de los objetos de concha del Templo Mayor de Tenochtitlan. Instituto Nacional de Antroplogía e Historia INAH, Colección Científica 519, Mexico, 2007.Google Scholar
Robles, J. and Oliveros, A.. Arqueología 35 (2005) 522.Google Scholar