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

Conclusions

This research has expanded the number of known examples of a previously unrecognized material that may now take its place more securely among the craft technologies of the ancient Maya, with a name of its own. While the documented examples are still painfully small in number and notable for their fragmentary state, the following points about textile-clay laminate technology may now be made with greater confidence. The process of layering textiles and clay (probably in slip form) is consistent among all samples. Simple weaves are favored, with some variation in warp/weft count and density, but without any apparent preferential positioning within the laminate structure. The proposed use of a mold or support during fabrication and minor manipulation of the dried laminate in finishing stages continue to be plausible. All samples were heat hardened, and the ceramic product was notably lightweight.

While not helpful in determining object type or use, the occurrences with extremely low fragment count may still be regarded as a useful indication that the laminate was not an everyday material. In general, the majority of fragments were found in high status contexts, including royal buildings, elite buildings or other areas (including middens) closely associated with royal or elite activities, both private and public. Those originating from undisturbed contexts, notably the rapidly abandoned areas investigated at Aguateca, deserve special note, as preservation was more extensive and use much easier to infer. While there are not enough samples yet to determine restrictions, indications are strong for the material’s use for ritual performance items.

The addition of Piedras Negras to the roster–by serendipitous recognition of a fragment as a result of recent personal communications–serves to illustrate the beneficial ripple effect of this study. Even as a singular example, it places for the first the material’s distribution outside of the Petexbatún region. This experience is likely to be repeated as awareness of the craft technology increases, and the material is properly identified and curated.

With respect to finds processing, several issues were brought to the fore in the course of this study. The diagnostic features of textile-clay laminates are sometimes subtle. Noticeably light in weight, the fragments might be confused with certain ceramic pastes, where dissolution of calcitic inclusions produce an exceptionally lightweight material (such as those of figurines from Dos Pilas). The hollows might be mistaken for those left by now-disintegrated textile components. Fine striations produced by a toothbrush cleaning a soft surface might similarly be confused with the linear traces of the textile component.

Close inspection and especially the use of a magnifying lens are critically important in recognizing laminate samples. If there is any doubt–with or without this level of scrutiny–classification as "other" or "miscellaneous" is highly recommended, as it will generally take them out of the normal finds processing stream. The latter typically includes cleaning (often with water), which can be very damaging to the more friable, less well fired examples. Unusual materials are more likely to receive protective packaging, which would promote their survival for later review. Such classification also enables fragments of interest to be retrieved more easily from bulk collections, as was clearly the case for this research. Expanding the data set remains a priority, and no fragment is unimportant. Each occurrence offers an opportunity to expand what we know about this craft technology, including details of production and its history of use by the inhabitants of ancient Mesoamerica.

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