[Aztlan] PROVENANCE OF THE LIMESTONE USED IN TEOTIHUACAN (MEXICO): A METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH

[Mario Cabrejos]

Archaeometry
Volume 51 Issue 4, Pages 525 - 545
Published Online: 3 Sep 2008

PROVENANCE OF THE LIMESTONE USED IN TEOTIHUACAN (MEXICO): A METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH*
L. BARBA 1 , J. BLANCAS 1 , L. R. MANZANILLA 1 , A. ORTIZ 1 , D. BARCA 2 , G. M. CRISCI 2 , D. MIRIELLO 2 and A. PECCI 3 
1 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 
2 Università degli Studi della Calabria, Italy 
3 Università degli Studi di Siena, Italy 
  
ABSTRACT
This work shows the preliminary results of an international project for the interdisciplinary study of the limestone used in the plasters of the ancient city of Teotihuacan. The limestone provenance was studied using a new approach based on the chemical analysis of the lime lumps that were selected because they represent the composition of the original limestone rock. The results show that the applied methodology was successful and that the limestone used to produce the lime employed to make the floor of the main courtyard at Teopancazco (Teotihuacan), comes from the region near Tula (Hidalgo).