Incipient Maya Burnt-Lime Technology: Characterization and Chronological Variations in Preclassic Plaster, Stucco and Mo
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armatures, with the image executed primarily in a cream colorant and highlighted with red and black. It was interred in a fairly intact state by a subsequent mask adhered with a hard, durable mortar. The RAINPEG (Regional Archaeological Investigation of the Northern Pet6n, Guatemala) archaeologists are particularly interested in a detailed analysis of this mortar because it is harder and more durable than the usual mortars encountered in Maya structures, indicating a
variation with possible implications for specialist preparation and/or ritual behaviors. Additionally, reproduction of such a mortar may have potential for use in restoration and conservation.
Burnt-lime products can vary in the materials procurement and processing of both the matrix (cementing material, CaCO 3, formed by the hardening of slaked lime, Ca(OH) 2, produced from the addition of burnt limestone or lime, CaO, to water) and aggregate (particles added as a bulking agent, and to add strength and inhibit cracking). Simple crushing of limestone produces
an aggregate of an uneven particle size (unsorted) distribution, imparting a chaotic texture. Stucco with a more limited particle size distribution requires a sorting activity, a deliberate action by the craftsmen requiring more time and planning dependent upon the specific particle size distribution desired. The matrix material itself may contribute to a more chaotic texture if unburnt limestone is not removed from the burnt-lime or slaked lime. The qualities of the stucco matrix are also
dependent upon the characteristics of the limestone chosen for burning, the presence of additives other than aggregate (including both inorganic and organic materials) and the length of the slaking
process. It should be noted that, although only the analysis of inorganic materials is discussed in this paper, the presence of organic additives, most probably plant gums, have previously been identified in Late Classic Maya mural plasters [5] and the practice of adding extracts of various local barks has been suggested in ethnohistoric accounts [6 ]. Thus, the production of plaster, stucco and mortar involves a variety of choices of materials and processing relating to the formation of the cement matrix, the addition of aggregates, and the application procedures (including layering and painting), and may be particularly suitable for identifying "technological styles" (patterned technological behaviors). Because these patterned series of choices, or "styles," are the result of culturally patterned systems of behavior, an investigation of those styles may lead to at least a partial understanding of the cultural criteria that lead to the choices [7]. This work is part of a larger project studying the synchronic and diachronic cultural significance of Maya architectural sculpture. One of the objectives is to establish a specific analytical protocol to properly study the mineralogical, petrographical and chemical characteristics of ancient Maya mortar, plaster and stucco in order to elucidate the materials and meth
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