Maya Blue: Unlocking the Mysteries of an Ancient Pigment
We are sincerely grateful to Dr. Dean E. Arnold for writing specially for us this intriguing introduction to the mysterious and unique pigment known as Maya Blue. Dr. Arnold has published extensively about the Maya potters and their craft in Ticul, Yucatan from data collected during his twelve visits over a period of 43 years (1965-2008). He is currently Adjunct Curator of Anthropology at the Field Museum and Professor of Anthropology Emeritus at Wheaton College (Illinois).
Pic 1: Close-up of Maya Blue on sculpture on the Venus Platform at Chichén Itzá (Click on image to enlarge)
Maya Blue is a beautiful blue pigment used by the ancient Maya from the Late Preclassic Period (300 BC - 300 AD) up into the Colonial Period (pic 1). It mimics the color of the azure sky and the turquoise of the Caribbean that one sees from the Maya Rivera - that incomparable strip of coastline that stretches along the east side of the Yucatán Peninsula.
Maya Blue was the color of sacrifice for the ancient Maya, and they painted human sacrifices, sculpture, pottery, murals, and codices with it (pic 2). Symbolizing the rain god Chaak, among other meanings, the Maya employed it largely during the Late Classic, Terminal Classic, and Postclassic Periods. After the Spanish Conquest, it occurred on murals in churches and convents, and there is some evidence that it was used up into the 19th century.
Pic 2: Maya Blue on a mural on the base of the Castillo at Mayapán (Click on image to enlarge)
Before the modern rush of tourism forced the closure of many parts of archaeological sites, one could still see Maya Blue on the sculpture and murals that still retained its rich blue color unchanged from the time of its creation. One archaeological site that evinces its persistent color is Chichén Itzá, an ancient Maya city on the northern Yucatán Peninsula (pic 3). As visitors walk northward from the great Pyramid of Kukulkan to a sinkhole called the ‘Sacred Well’, they encounter a low pyramidal structure known as the Venus Platform (pic 4). Careful observers will note that the low relief sculpture on it still retains some of its ancient paint. Looking closely, they can see the remains of a blue pigment, still clinging to the crumbling limestone, yet with a richness of color unfaded after a millennium of exposure to the harsh tropical sun, torrential downpours, and hurricanes that have plagued Yucatán for centuries. Although much of the pigment has disappeared because of the erosion of the limestone underneath it, that which remains still retains its bright blue color.
Pic 3: The Temple of Kukulkan at Chichén Itzá (Click on image to enlarge)
The most prominent uses of Maya Blue at Chichén Itzá lie hidden within the restricted areas of the site. In the 1960s, visitors still had access to some of these areas. One such area was the Temple of the Warriors where the pigment was first discovered (pic 5). As I strolled among the columns outside of this structure, I could see tiny remnants of Maya Blue on the low relief figures. In 1970, I was able to enter the chamber under the Temple and saw the blue on the headdresses on the warrior figures on the columns (pic 6) and on the murals on the wall. It was here that chemist H. E. Merwin first noted the unique characteristics of Maya Blue. Similarly, after the short, but steep a climb to the Upper Temple of the Jaguar located on top of the East wall of the ball court, a mural inside the temple also shows the pigment (pic 7). All of these areas are now closed to visitors, but one can still see Maya Blue on the low relief sculpture in the interior of the Lower Temple of the Jaguar (pic 8).
Pic 4: Maya Blue on Venus Platform at Chichén Itzá (Click on image to enlarge)
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