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All that glitters is not pyrite: A geochemical assessment of iron-ore objects used by the Classic Maya

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2023

Tomás Barrientos Q. Open the ORCID record for Tomás Barrientos Q. [Opens in a new window] ,
Andrea Sandoval ,
Yoshiyuki Iizuka  and
Tanya Carías P.
Tomás Barrientos Q.*
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigaciones Arqueológicas y Antropológicas, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala
Andrea Sandoval
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigaciones Arqueológicas y Antropológicas, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala
Yoshiyuki Iizuka
Affiliation:
Academia Sinica Taiwan, Taiwan
Tanya Carías P.
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigaciones Arqueológicas y Antropológicas, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala
*
Corresponding author: Tomás Barrientos Q., email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Different types of iron ore and pyrite were used to craft a wide variety of reflective artifacts in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, including “mirrors,” pectorals, necklaces, and dental inlays, among others. In the Maya region, most of these have only been visually assessed, without using analytical techniques. Consequently, our understanding of the diversity of raw materials used in artifact production has been limited. This article presents preliminary results from a pilot study aiming to identify the raw materials used in the manufacture of different reflective objects from a small sample of finds from the sites of La Corona and Cancuen, located in Guatemala, through the use of scanning electron microscopy with EDS detectors (SEM-EDS), energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. Although further analyses are needed to confirm the representativeness of the sample, these results indicate the use of hematite and goethite (iron oxides), but not pyrite (iron sulfide). This study also shows how improved knowledge of raw material use can elicit previously unknown patterns of distribution and exchange, and highlight patterns of inter- and intrasite variability in the production, use, and exchange of reflective objects over time in the Maya region throughout the Classic period.

Resumen

Resumen

En la Mesoamérica prehispánica, se usaron diferentes tipos de óxidos y sulfuros de hierro para fabricar diversos artefactos reflexivos, los cuales incluyen principalmente los llamados “espejos”, así como pectorales, collares e incrustaciones dentales, entre otros. En la región maya, la mayoría de éstos han sido identificados de forma visual, sin usar técnicas analíticas, lo que ha resultado en un pobre entendimiento de la diversidad de materias primas usadas para producir estos artefactos. Mediante una revisión detallada de la literatura arqueológica publicada con relación a los artefactos reflexivos en la región maya, se ha observado una inconsistencia en la terminología usada para referir a las materias primas que fueron utilizadas para su manufactura. Por lo tanto, esto ha generado que, de forma casi automática, se identifique a la pirita como el material usado para estos artefactos, ignorando la posibilidad que se hayan usado otros tipos de minerales reflexivos que estaban disponibles en la época prehispánica, especialmente los óxidos de hierro como la hematita. Para afrontar este problema, se ha demostrado que los análisis geoquímicos como microscopía electrónica de barrido con detector EDS (SEM-EDS), fluorescencia portátil de rayos X de energía dispersiva (EDXRF), difracción de rayos X (XRD) y espectroscopia Raman, proporcionan una solución clara al identificar la presencia o ausencia de azufre en la composición química de estos artefactos. De una pequeña muestra inicial de 14 objetos analizados de los sitios de La Corona, El Achiotal y Cancuén, prácticamente ninguno mostró azufre, indicando que no fueron hechos con pirita, sino con algún óxido de hierro, posiblemente hematita o goethita. A pesar de que se ha argumentado que la ausencia de azufre es el resultado de procesos de transformación o descomposición química, es poco probable que esto haya sucedido en todas las muestras, especialmente las que muestran un buen grado de conservación de sus superficies reflexivas. Por lo tanto, tal como ha sucedido con la obsidiana, cerámica, concha y piedras verdes, la posibilidad de realizar identificaciones precisas de las materias primas permitirá definir sus fuentes, y de esta manera, definir modelos económicos sobre su extracción, producción e intercambio. Por ahora, a pesar de que se han realizado solamente algunos análisis preliminares, se propone que la identificación visual de pirita en objetos reflexivos no es confiable, por lo que es necesario reconsiderar las interpretaciones que se basan en esos datos. Si bien la pirita tuvo un uso importante en el período clásico temprano en sitios como Nebaj y Kaminaljuyu, el rompimiento de la red de intercambio relacionada con Teotihuacán pudo provocar un aumento en el uso de la hematita en la región de las tierras bajas durante el clásico tardío, tal como lo sugieren los datos de La Corona, Cancuén y Aguateca. De cualquier forma, este estudio ha demostrado que la diversidad de métodos geoquímicos disponibles constituye una herramienta importante para mejorar los modelos económicos definidos para la región maya, especialmente al considerar la importancia económica que tuvo la producción e intercambio de artefactos reflexivos en las diferentes regiones y períodos cronológicos.

Type
Special Section: Recent Research on Iron Ore Mirrors in Mesoamerica and Central America
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 35 , Issue 1 , Spring 2024 , pp. 81 - 96
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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