Archaeometrical characterization of pigments and paintings on Pre‐Hispanic pottery from the regions of Fiambalá and Chaschuil (Catamarca, Argentina)*

RATTO, N.; REINOSO, M.; BASILE, M.; FREIRE, E.; HALAC, E. B.

ARCHAEOMETRY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2020 vol. 62 p. 1216 - 1234

0003-813X

We present the results of analysis of pigments used in slips and designsdeployed in ceramic assemblages recovered from archaeological siteslocated in different environments, expressing the socio-historical processdeveloped in the regions of Fiambalá and Chaschuil during the last 1500years (Catamarca, Argentina). The sample, formed by fragments ofdifferent ceramic styles and natural pigments, was analysed via Ramanspectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Results indicate the continuity in theuse of certain pigments (mainly hematite for the red hues, andmanganese oxides in combination with magnetite for the black paints),within the different socio-political organizations that inhabited the regionfrom I to XVI centuries, in spite of the diverse shades of colour, whichsuggests an intentional search linked with their cultural conventions. Forthe Inca Period, this scenery of continuities in minerals employed forreds and blacks is complemented by the use of new compounds(titanium oxide, apatite, and gypsum) in order to generate the ?cream?tones applied as slips, all of which have not been identified for previousmoments.