Cinabrio y mercurio en Teotihuacán y, en particular, en el túnel bajo el templo de la Serpiente Emplumada, México

The cinnabar, a vivid red pigment, has been used by many ancient cultures around the world. Teotihuacan is one of the Mesoamerican capitals that used it. The physical characteristics of the mineral and its blood-red color gave it particularly high value and significance. A detailed study on the occu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Julie Gazzola
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Société des américanistes 2022-07-01
Series:Journal de la Société des Américanistes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/jsa/20694
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832096280503910400
author Julie Gazzola
author_facet Julie Gazzola
author_sort Julie Gazzola
collection DOAJ
description The cinnabar, a vivid red pigment, has been used by many ancient cultures around the world. Teotihuacan is one of the Mesoamerican capitals that used it. The physical characteristics of the mineral and its blood-red color gave it particularly high value and significance. A detailed study on the occurrence of the mineral in Teotihuacan revealed its particular use in funerary and ritual domains as well as in mural painting. On the one hand, this mineral can be considered as an indicator of social status, this resource—of prestige—being reserved for the elites and, on the other hand, its deposit on the body of the deceased was part of a ritual linked to the notion of rebirth. The discovery of cinnabar and mercury in the recently excavated tunnel under the temple of the Feathered Serpent, one of the most emblematic monuments of the city, confirms the symbolic importance of these two elements and their links with the cosmological thought of the ancient Mesoamerican cultures.
format Article
id doaj-art-efec823036cf446980ff4b007311d4d8
institution Kabale University
issn 0037-9174
1957-7842
language English
publishDate 2022-07-01
publisher Société des américanistes
record_format Article
series Journal de la Société des Américanistes
spelling doaj-art-efec823036cf446980ff4b007311d4d82025-02-05T15:54:15ZengSociété des américanistesJournal de la Société des Américanistes0037-91741957-78422022-07-0110818311510.4000/jsa.20694Cinabrio y mercurio en Teotihuacán y, en particular, en el túnel bajo el templo de la Serpiente Emplumada, MéxicoJulie GazzolaThe cinnabar, a vivid red pigment, has been used by many ancient cultures around the world. Teotihuacan is one of the Mesoamerican capitals that used it. The physical characteristics of the mineral and its blood-red color gave it particularly high value and significance. A detailed study on the occurrence of the mineral in Teotihuacan revealed its particular use in funerary and ritual domains as well as in mural painting. On the one hand, this mineral can be considered as an indicator of social status, this resource—of prestige—being reserved for the elites and, on the other hand, its deposit on the body of the deceased was part of a ritual linked to the notion of rebirth. The discovery of cinnabar and mercury in the recently excavated tunnel under the temple of the Feathered Serpent, one of the most emblematic monuments of the city, confirms the symbolic importance of these two elements and their links with the cosmological thought of the ancient Mesoamerican cultures.https://journals.openedition.org/jsa/20694cinnabarmercurysymbolismritual usesTeotihuacanFeathered Snake Pyramid
spellingShingle Julie Gazzola
Cinabrio y mercurio en Teotihuacán y, en particular, en el túnel bajo el templo de la Serpiente Emplumada, México
Journal de la Société des Américanistes
cinnabar
mercury
symbolism
ritual uses
Teotihuacan
Feathered Snake Pyramid
title Cinabrio y mercurio en Teotihuacán y, en particular, en el túnel bajo el templo de la Serpiente Emplumada, México
title_full Cinabrio y mercurio en Teotihuacán y, en particular, en el túnel bajo el templo de la Serpiente Emplumada, México
title_fullStr Cinabrio y mercurio en Teotihuacán y, en particular, en el túnel bajo el templo de la Serpiente Emplumada, México
title_full_unstemmed Cinabrio y mercurio en Teotihuacán y, en particular, en el túnel bajo el templo de la Serpiente Emplumada, México
title_short Cinabrio y mercurio en Teotihuacán y, en particular, en el túnel bajo el templo de la Serpiente Emplumada, México
title_sort cinabrio y mercurio en teotihuacan y en particular en el tunel bajo el templo de la serpiente emplumada mexico
topic cinnabar
mercury
symbolism
ritual uses
Teotihuacan
Feathered Snake Pyramid
url https://journals.openedition.org/jsa/20694
work_keys_str_mv AT juliegazzola cinabrioymercurioenteotihuacanyenparticulareneltunelbajoeltemplodelaserpienteemplumadamexico