Maya blue

Maya blue
A warrior with azul Maya on the background
Color coordinates
Hex triplet	#73C2FB
sRGBB  (r, g, b)	(115, 194, 251)
HSV       (h, s, v)	(205°, 94%, 72%)
Source	[Unsourced]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Maya blue (Spanish: azul maya) is a unique bright azure blue pigment manufactured by cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, such as the Maya and Aztec.

Manufacture

The Maya blue pigment is a composite of organic and inorganic constituents, primarily indigo dyes derived from the leaves of añil (Indigofera suffruticosa) plants combined with palygorskite, a natural clay which, mysteriously, is not known to exist in abundant deposits in Mesoamerica. Smaller trace amounts of other mineral additives have also been identified.

Historical use

Maya blue first appeared around 800, and it was still used in the 16th century in several Convents of Colonial Mexico, notably in the paintings of the Indian Juan Gerson in Tecamachalco. These paintings are a clear example of the combination of Indian and European techniques sometimes known as Arte Indocristiano. After that, the techniques for its production were lost in Mexico, but in Cuba there are examples from 1830.

Resistance to weathering

Despite time and the harsh weathering conditions, paintings colored by Maya blue have not faded over time. More remarkably, the color has resisted chemical solvents and acids such as nitric acid. Recently, its resistance against chemical aggression (acids, alkalis, solvents, etc.) and biodegradation was tested, and it was shown that Maya blue is an extremely resistant pigment, but it can be destroyed using very intense acid treatment under reflux.

Research on chemical composition

Microscopic image of a mural at Bonampak

Microscopic image of a mural at Teotihuacan

Mexican Colonial Painting by Juan Gerson where Maya blue was used: The technique disappeared in the early colonial period.

The chemical composition of the compound was determined by powder diffraction in the 1950s and was found to be a composite of palygorskite and indigo, most likely derived from the use of the leaves of the añil. The actual recipe to reproduce Maya blue pigment was published in 1993 by a Mexican historian and chemist, Constantino Reyes-Valerio. The combination of different clays (palygorskite and montmorillonite), together with the use of the leaves of the añil and the actual process is described in Reyes-Valerio (1993). Reyes-Valerio's contributions were possible due to his combined background of history and chemistry, through a thorough revision of primary texts (Sahagun, Hernandez, Jimenez, and others), microscopic analysis of the mural paintings and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

After the formula for the production was published in the book De Bonampak al Templo Mayor: Historia del Azul Maya en Mesoamerica, many developments in the chemical analysis of the pigment occurred in collaborations between Reyes-Valerio and European scientists.

A comprehensive study on the pigment which describes history, the experimental study techniques (diffraction studies, infrared spectroscopies, Raman amplification, optical spectroscopies, voltammetry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and computer modelling), the syntheses, properties and nature of Maya blue and the research in relation with the archaeological and historical contexts has been published in the journal Developments in Clay Science.

Uses in cultural contexts

Pre-Columbian American culture

• In the Americas, Maya blue was used as a colorant in pre-Columbian artworks, sculptures, murals, and textiles (probably), and to illuminate Mesoamerican codices. Recent research also suggests Maya blue may have played an important role in human sacrifices to Chaac at Chichén Itzá, both produced at the sacrificial site and used to paint the bodies of the victims.

See also

• Other classic artificial blue pigments: Egyptian blue, Chinese blue
• List of colors

External links

• Azul Maya, descriptive site by Reyes-Valerio (Spanish) (English)