November 21, 2014

Groundbreaking Teotihuacan Mask Findings

New electron research into Teotihuacan masks reveals surprising proof that the iconic stone masks were made far from Teotihuacan and from materials that were not really jadeite. Researchers studied 150 of the 600 masks held in museums around the world. They found they were made from serpentine, travertine and limestone, and other softer stones and polished with quartz, which does not exist at Teotihuacan. They found 3 fakes among them. They now believe the masks were made by artisans in Puebla and carried to Teotihuacan. They were also able to source the microscopic remains of algae on the masks to identify their Puebla region origins.
Scientific American has the report here;
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/electron-beam-points-to-origins-of-teotihuacan-stone-faces/