INGREDIENTS FOR "MAYA BLUE" PIGMENT WIDELY MINED

The ingredients of “Maya Blue," a pigment used by the Classic Maya, may have been widely mined, an archaeologist reports. It was previously suggested that the ingredients were traded within the Yucatán Peninsula, and mined only in Mexico.

Austin State University’s Leslie Cecil , however, has traced the pigment's chief ingredient to the Petén region of Guatemala, a significant location in the cultural heritage of the Maya.

"Geochemical analyses demonstrate that the Ixlu pigment has the traditional Maya Blue structure, but it was manufactured from clays in central Petén, Guatemala," he said. "If Maya Blue was being used in the southern Maya lowlands as it was in the northern Maya lowlands, then it should not seem too shocking that some southern lowland Maya (perhaps ritual specialists) may have learned the technology and specialized knowledge behind the manufacture of Maya Blue."

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MAYAN FOUNTAIN DISCOVERED BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS IN PALENQUE

Archaeologists working at the Mayan urban center of Palenque have discovered a pressurized water system constructed 1,400 years ago. Palenque, located in southern Mexico, flourished in the 7^th century AD. An anthropologist and civil engineer working on the site noted that "The ancient Maya are renowned as great builders, but are rarely regarded as great engineers. Their constructions, though often big and impressive, are generally considered unsophisticated.” However, they point out, "many Maya centers exhibit sophisticated facilities that captured, routed, stored, or otherwise manipulated water for various purposes." An archaeologist from the University of Illinois also notes Palenque’s unique water systems.

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BOOK ON MAYAN LITERATURE DRAWS SCHOLARLY AND LITERARY PRAISE

Dennis Tedlock's 2000 Years of Mayan Literature has drawn wide acclaim since its recent publication in January. The book explores the growth and evolution of literature in the Mayan world from stone carvings to paper documents. It has been praised for its "highly readable" presentation and its sound scholarly research. Tedlock is a recognized authority on Mayan writing and culture.

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