Copal from bowl (IMAGE)

Field Museum

Copal from bowl

Caption

The underside of the copal removed from the Maya tripod pottery bowl shows evidence that helped solve mysteries surrounding the ancient production of Maya Blue. Fine blue and white grains were removed for analysis and indicated the presence of Maya Blue and palygorskite, indicating that the pigment was being made near Chichen Itza's Sacred Cenote into which the bowl (containing this copal) was thrown.

Credit

Photo by Linda Nicholas; Courtesy of The Field Museum.

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