Chromatic palette studies in sculptural architectonical elements of Maya buildings in the south of Campeche, Mexico

ABSTRACT The Maya sites Balamkú, Calakmul, Becán, Chicanná, Xpuhil, Hormiguero, Muñeca, and Chactún are located in the south area of the Mexican State of Campeche, immerse in a tropical subhumid climate. Surrounded by jungle vegetation, these archeological sites preserve some of the best examples of sculptural elements from the pre-Classic (1800 b. C. – 250 a. C.) to the terminal Classic (1000 d. C.) periods. These sites display how the Maya used sculptures as architectural elements in order to emphasize their cosmogony and political beliefs. The main purpose of this research is to comprehend the technology of paint layer materials and to register the chromatic palettes by using surface and microscopic analytical techniques such as optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer system (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) in order to analyze and interpret the pictorial technique used for the architectural sculpture decoration.