Body Colors and Aromatics in Maya Funerary Rites

Pascual, María Luisa Vázquez de Ágredos; Lorenzo, Cristina Vidal; Campos, Patricia Horcajada; Tiesler, Vera

doi:10.2307/j.ctvgs09xv.9

Cited by 4 publications

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“…The most abundant signals were found in the aliphatic (δ0.50–2.00) and carbinol-proton regions (δ3.00–4.50) ( Figure S3, in the Supplementary Material ). Considering that, in the cases of the Red Queen of Palenque and the dignitary buried in the Structure III-9 at Calakmul, excipients with aromas of copal and pine were found in the funerary pigment [ 8 ], the 1 H-NMR profiles of the funerary pigments analyzed in this study were compared with those of copal resin and commercial standards of its characteristic triterpenes [ 16 ]. None of the signals from the copal resin or its lupane and amyrin triterpenes, marker compounds of the Bursera species, were observed in the 1 H-NMR profiles in the funerary pigments ( Figure 2 ), ruling out the presence of copal in the different samples.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The current knowledge about the composition of the red pigments from the bone remains found in Xcambó and other archaeological sites ( Figure S2, in the Supplementary Material ), is based on X-ray diffraction and electronic microscopy analyses of pigment samples, which have revealed the presence of mainly inorganic minerals, e.g., cinnabar (HgS), found in the volcanic lands and used only in elite rituals, and hematite (Fe 2 O 3 ), a more accessible material commonly used by the general Maya population [ 7 ]. Recently, it has been reported that these minerals could be a part of a complex mixture which include gums, agglutinants, and aromatic components such as the copal resin [ 8 ]. Additionally, analyses of pigment samples using pyrolysis coupled with gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry (Pyr-GC-MS), has allowed the detection of a number of natural components, which include aromatic excipients, such as acacia gum, and copal and pine resins.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Insight to the Composition of Pre-Hispanic Mayan Funerary Pigments by 1H-NMR Analysis

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The funerary rites of particular members of the pre-Hispanic Mayan society included the pigmentation of the corpse with a red color. In order to understand this ritual, it is first necessary to identify the constituents of the pigment mixture and then, based on its properties, analyze the possible form and moment of application. In the present approach, 1H-NMR analysis was carried to detect organic components in the funerary pigments of Xcambó, a small Maya settlement in the Yucatan Peninsula. The comparison of the spectra belonging to the pigment found in the bone remains of seven individuals, and those from natural materials, led to the identification of beeswax and an abietane resin as constituents of the pigment, thus conferring it agglutinant and aromatic properties, respectively. The 1H-NMR analysis also allowed to rule out the presence of copal, a resin found in the pigment cover from paramount chiefs from the Mayan society. Additionally, a protocol for the extraction of the organic fraction from the bone segment without visible signs of analysis was developed, thus broadening the techniques available to investigate these valuable samples.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Insight to the Composition of Pre-Hispanic Mayan Funerary Pigments by 1H-NMR Analysis

et al. 2021

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“…The authors, recently, have reported the presence of a number of funerary colors and aromatic resins in a burial of a high-status individual in Teotihuacan [11]. This line of research has also brought interesting results in the Maya area [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

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

et al. 2020

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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.

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Life after death: a physicochemical study of materials used by the ancient Maya in human bone ointments

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Pascual

et al. 2021

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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Ancient Maya believed in life after death. They used to prepare dead bodies during burial ceremonies whose purpose was to celebrate the dead and to help them passing through the way from earthly life to the beyond one. Bodies preparation included coloured scented body ointment application, with a deep symbolic connotation and probably also a conservative purpose. The aim of this research was to characterize pigments and binders used by ancient Maya in the preparation of body ointments used to paint human bones. Emblematic painted bone samples from Xcambó (Maya archaeological site located in the municipality of Dzemul, in the Mexican state of Yucatán) were investigated through a non-destructive and micro-destructive analytical techniques. Results pointed out the presence of two mainly red pigments, i.e. red ochre and cinnabar, as already observed in other Maya painted bones. The new insight of the research is the identification of the organic compounds used as binding media in the ointments: a mixture of vegetable drying oil (probably Chia seed oil) mixed with an aromatic compound (bitumen). This knowledge, together with that obtained in the last decades, is important to reconstruct the cultural habitat and social customs of this pre-Hispanic civilization and transfer them to today's context.

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Body Colors and Aromatics in Maya Funerary Rites

Cited by 4 publications

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An Insight to the Composition of Pre-Hispanic Mayan Funerary Pigments by 1H-NMR Analysis

An Insight to the Composition of Pre-Hispanic Mayan Funerary Pigments by 1H-NMR Analysis

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

Life after death: a physicochemical study of materials used by the ancient Maya in human bone ointments

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