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Textile-Clay Laminates: a new-found craft technology from ancient Mesoamerica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2011

Harriet F. Beaubien
Affiliation:
Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education, Museum Support Center, Suitland, Maryland, USA
Emily Kaplan
Affiliation:
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Cultural Resources Center, Suitland, Maryland, USA
Monica Shah
Affiliation:
Shah Conservation, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
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Abstract

Two Maya-period sites, Las Pacayas and Aguateca, have recently yielded fragments composed of a previously unknown material -- a laminate formed from multiple layers of woven cloth and clay slip. On-site and laboratory conservation efforts enabled the Aguateca finds to be identified as ceremonial headdress elements. Materials analysis and replication experimentation have elucidated technological aspects of this medium, and demonstrate its suitability for fabricating elaborate, lightweight items such as these.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2002

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References

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