Analysis of metallurgical artefacts using pXRF: Understanding metalwork during the contact period in Colombia

Summary

The encounter between the Americas and Europe has been extensively studied. In these studies, gold and silver, its looting, mining and trading are usually the focus of attention. However, the characteristics of metalwork after the conquest have inspired fewer investigations. In this paper I present the results of analyses of samples of metallic and ceramic artifacts, using portable X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (pXRF). These artifacts belong to past metallurgical activities, and were found in archaeological excavations at goldsmith's workshops in Mompox, a small town in northern Colombia where metallurgical tradition dates back from colonial times. The use of non-destructive analysis and the procurement of quantitative results become a powerful tool for historical archaeologists. The results of the artifacts compositional analysis allowed this study to extend the possibilities of understanding the characteristics of the metallurgical work in the past and more generally, to understand the connections, interactions, choices, changes and permanencies surrounding the work of metals during the early years of Spanish presence in Colombia.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Photons in the Field: New Approaches to the Use of Portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF) in Archaeological Fieldwork   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

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