Compositional variability of pigments of Belén-style prehispanic ceramics from El Bolsón Valley, Catamarca Province, Argentina

This paper presents the first studies on the compositional characterization of the pigments used on Belén-style prehispanic pottery from El Bolsón valley (Catamarca, northwestern Argentina). The integrated analyses using micro-Raman spectroscopy and XRD revealed variability in the precursors used to generate the black paints: manganese oxides, magnetite, titanomagnetite, carbon and calcined bone. This variability of compounds, and their use in various combinations, had not been previously documented for a particular ceramic style, and provides evidence of the coexistence of different recipes for the elaboration of paints. It is also noted that this is the first case in which the use of calcined bone as a component in black paint is registered. From these results, and those previously obtained from ceramic pastes, it is proposed that the Belén-style pottery manufacture from El Bolsón valley was not standardized, but developed with low intensity in small-scale workshops.