Metalworking at Mayapan, Yucatan, Mexico: Discoveries from the R-183 Group Academic Article uri icon

Abstract

  • This article presents a compositional analysis of metal artifacts from the
    Postclassic period (A.D. 1100–1450) city of Mayapan, Yucatan, Mexico.
    We document metallurgical production at the R-183 group, an elite
    residential group, and one of the most significant archaeological contexts
    associated with metalworking at Mayapan. Salvage excavations in 1998
    recovered a small cache containing 282 copper bells, two miniature
    ceramic vessels filled with metal, and production debris including loose
    casting sprues and failed bells. Metallographic analysis of a small copper
    bell and wire fragments from the cache reveals lost-wax casting
    production techniques. X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) of metal
    artifacts provides insight into the range of metals used by the R-183
    metalworkers, which included copper-lead, copper-tin and copperarsenic
    alloys, and how these alloys compare to assemblages recovered
    from other contexts at the city. Our findings strongly suggest the use of
    remelting and recasting techniques, likely produced from remelted
    metals of both West and Central Mexican origin, together with the use of
    imported goods made from a range of copper alloys.

Publication Date

  • 2022-08-01