Preliminary Results of the Physico-Chemical Analysis and Manufacturing Traces of the Tesserae Mirrors from El Caño, Gran Coclé Archaeological Tradition (750–1020 CE)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The study presented below aims to determine whether the mirrors of pyrite tesserae and iron ore tesserae not associated with bases, found at El Caño, are of local production or, on the contrary, came from Mesoamerica given their formal and material resemblance to those from that area. In order to achieve this objective, firstly, a formal typological classification of the mirrors according to their attributes, a characterization of their materials by means of optical microscopy techniques (thin slides and crossed nicols), X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), and a characterization of the micro-traces or traces of manufacture present in the mirrors through refraction transformation imaging (RTI), secondary and electro-sprayed electron detection (SE/BSE) and digital microscopy. Preliminary analysis indicates that while some mirrors and tassels may be of foreign origin, most appear to be of local manufacture, suggesting that the people of El Caño produced their own mirrors inspired by Mesoamerican mirrors with which they share not only formal, but probably also conceptual aspects.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38411.0