Maya Ceramics Analysis

In 2015 lacma s program in the art of the ancient americas embarked on the maya vase research project a fruitful collaboration with the museum s conservation center to conduct technical analysis of ancient maya ceramic vessels.

Maya ceramics analysis.

The vessels used different colors sizes and had varied purposes. But they didnt burn the torch instead something that looked like fire was substituted. Pottery sherds the most abundant artifacts recovered from sites reveal much about artistic expression religious ritual economic systems cooking traditions and cultural exchange in maya society. The process of creating ceramics involved many steps and different materials both local and imported.

Ancient maya pottery brings together many of the archaeologists signally involved in the analysis and interpretation of ancient maya ceramics and offers new findings and state of the art thinking. Ancient mayan pottery maya civilization is one of the great ancient civilizations of the world. Vessels for the elite could be painted with very detailed scenes while utilitarian vessels were undecorated or much simpler. The maya ceramic book of creation the trials of the popol vuh hero twins displayed on classic maya polychrome painted pottery first they entered the dark house.

This study uses neutron activation analysis of ceramics to examine economic change and increasing social complexity at the preclassic maya site of cahal pech in belize 1200 cal bc cal ad 300. Seven compositional groups were identified from the site s civic ceremonial centre and two peripheral residential groups. Elite pottery usually in the form of straight sided beakers called vases used for drinking chocolate was placed in burials giving a number of survivals in good condition. Selecting the clays first usually from local sources potters would then fold in different tempers or additives to achieve a desired consistency or aesthetic quality.

This was the tail of the macaw which looked like a torch to the sentries. The maya ceramics project smithsonian center for materials research and education has a growing database of chemical fingerprints of dozens of classic maya ceramic production sites. Maya ceramics are ceramics produced in the pre columbian maya culture of mesoamerica. For this research we are interested in reconstructing how ancient maya potters and painters made these vessels.

All maya pottery was built by hand as opposed to on a potter s wheel. Individual examples include the princeton va.