Pigment Puzzle: Investigation of Manganese-Based Compound as Ancient Maya’s Fugitive Green Pigment

Abstract

The painted ceramics of the Ancient Maya serve as important artifacts that provide glimpses into their cultural, political, and social worlds. Investigating the remnants of Ancient Maya decorated ceramics necessitates interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars from various fields. Analytical methods and tools in the field of chemistry, for example, have been instrumental in uncovering details about Ancient Maya techniques and mastery of materials science in the creation of their pigments. Minimal attention has been given, however, to the investigation of a fugitive green pigment that Ancient Maya may have used to depict jade jewelry and vibrant green quetzal feathers on their ceramics. This study investigated the thermal treatment of MnCO3 to produce the green compound MnO under oxic and pseudoanoxic conditions at varying temperatures. Qualitative and spectroscopic analyses indicate that other manganese oxides of darker colors were the main products under the conditions tested. Further interdisciplinary research is required to determine the identity of the transitory green pigment used by the Ancient Maya.