Textile-Clay Laminates: a new-found craft technology from ancient Mesoamerica

摘要

Two Maya-period sites, Las Pacayas and Aguateca, have recently yielded fragments composed of a previously unknown material -- a laminate formed from multiple layers of woven cloth and clay slip. On-site and laboratory conservation efforts enabled the Aguateca finds to be identified as ceremonial headdress elements. Materials analysis and replication experimentation have elucidated technological aspects of this medium, and demonstrate its suitability for fabricating elaborate, lightweight items such as these.