Cinnabar traditions across the ancient Central Andes: insights from the National Museum of the American Indian collections

The extraction and processing of cinnabar (HgS) to create red pigment have a deep history across the Andes. From paint used to decorate the bodies of people living on the North Coast during the early second millennium BCE, to the vibrantly decorated qeros owned by Inka elites during the Colonial per...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archaeological and anthropological sciences 2023-12, Vol.15 (12), p.182, Article 182
Main Authors: Young, Michelle Elizabeth, Kaplan, Emily
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
American Indians
Anthropology
Archaeology
Chemistry/Food Science
Colonialism
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Elites
Extraction
Festivals
Geography
Iron oxides
Life Sciences
Mineral composition
Minerals
Mines
Museum exhibits
Museums
National museums
Native North Americans
Pigments
Silver mines
Temporal patterns
Textiles
Traditions
X-ray fluorescence
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Summary:The extraction and processing of cinnabar (HgS) to create red pigment have a deep history across the Andes. From paint used to decorate the bodies of people living on the North Coast during the early second millennium BCE, to the vibrantly decorated qeros owned by Inka elites during the Colonial period, cinnabar has been sought after and employed by Andean peoples for millennia. In this paper, we explore spatial and temporal patterns of cinnabar use through a collection-based study at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Applying the lens of technological choice to understand the mineral composition of pigments, we employ portable X-ray fluorescence and microscopy to record how, where, and when different Andean groups selected imported cinnabar over more common sources of red mineral pigment, such as iron oxides. Our results also hint at the possibility that ancient craftspeople intentionally combined different mineral pigments to produce desired hues and tints and/or other material and spiritual properties. By examining how cinnabar was deployed on pre-Hispanic Andean objects and images, we gain greater insight into the importance and meaning of this valued exchange material.
ISSN:1866-9557
1866-9565
DOI:10.1007/s12520-023-01864-8