Exploring the Technology behind Two Greenstone Mosaic Faces from Tikal, Petén, Guatemala
Keywords:
Maya, technology, lapidary, mosaic, jade.
Abstract
Besides the undeniable political and ideological relevance materialized in two greenstone mosaic faces discovered in a sumptuous funerary precinct belonging to an ancient Maya ruler of Tikal, buried sometime between A.D. 350 and 378, this study seeks to identify the patterns of manufacture recorded on these insignias. Using non-destructive methods and high-definition microscopic approaches, sectors of select tesserae that form the two greenstone mosaic faces were analyzed. Based on the obtained results, we suggest that the tools used to manufacture the tesserae were made using local and foreign raw materials. Moreover, the technological patterns recorded on the tesserae seem to be similar during the final stages of manufacture, whereas during the earlier stages they seem to be meaningfully distinct.Downloads
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Published
2019-03-19
How to Cite
Meléndez J. C. y Melgar Tísoc E. R. (2019). Exploring the Technology behind Two Greenstone Mosaic Faces from Tikal, Petén, Guatemala. Revista Española de Antropología Americana, 48, 191-210. https://doi.org/10.5209/REAA.63698
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Dossier
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