Life on Floors: The Archaeometry of Teotihuacan´s Living Surfaces

Summary

Archaeometric studies promote interdisciplinarity. Therefore, through this framework we can analyze other materials which facilitate the understanding of the society which created, modified, and used them. To sum up, with this methodology we seek to comprehend the characteristics of the materials used to build the city of Teotihuacan.

Currently, there are archaeomagnetic studies underway which intend to discover the Sun Pyramid Square’s chronology of occupation. Furthermore, we are also conducting physical analyses that aim to understand the floor structure; some of these include: optical microscopy, SEM, XRF, FTIR, Raman and Pixe. Moreover, these analyses are being complemented by the identification of the floor’s mineralogical composition through soil micromorphology.

In fact, we were able to identify similarities and differences between the materials used in the manufacture of floors. That is to say, that this discovery may indicate that preferences towards certain raw materials could be related to the technological advances that were achieved over time in Teotihuacan.

Finally, we propose that these studies suggest that the same surfaces which were used in pre-Hispanic times are themselves an archaeological material that must be taken into account to reconstruct the history of this place.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15704