Textile-Clay Laminates:  A special-use material in ancient Mesoamerica

Laminate Technology

Component materials
All fragments were made of a cohesive material composed of multiple layers of woven textile and clay. The clay appears to have been applied in the form of a thin slurry to coat each textile layer and to serve as the "adhesive" between layers, thus creating a laminated unit.

The textiles (now universally absent) were visible in cross-section as stacked pattern of holes where threads had once been. When the outermost clay surfaces were intact, a textile topography was often suggested. Often, however, the high points were abraded, exposing tiny hollows or channels. In areas where the clay surface loss was more extensive, the weave pattern was clearly visible as impressions in the underlying clay layer.

The textiles typically were varieties of plain weave, most commonly with single elements in each direction. Occasionally, paired or tripled elements were utilized consistently in one of the directions (e.g., Figure 8). Thread thickness and weave density varied, but all weaves provided sufficient openness to allow the clay to penetrate through the weave to create a cohesive lattice-like network.

Laminate assembly, shaping and finishing
The thickness of the fragments was formed using five or more textile layers, with the resulting laminate mostly 2-5 mm thick (the Aguateca mask fragments are notably thin), with some in the 10 mm range. The weakness of the laminate components during the assembly process would necessitate the use of a support or mold, but because many of the fragments were small, relatively plain, and only slightly curved, it was difficult to ascertain whether the molds had been convex or concave. However, some fragments showed features such as ridges or folds, finished edges, perforations and red slip coloration. Previous replication experiments had shown that some of the minor modifications (e.g. edge features) could be carried out on the laminate, once it was dried, removed from the mold, and then locally wetted [Beaubien 2001].

Heat hardening
The samples were somewhat brittle and friable, but all had been exposed to heat, producing a ceramic product with no extant textiles. Color and hardness varied, suggesting differences in heating environment and exposure. While depositional exposure to heat can not be ruled out unambiguously, I think it is reasonable to assume that heat-hardening was the final production step in making the laminate objects rigid, resistant to water exposure and practical for use.

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