Use of White Pigment in Pottery: An Ancient Tradition in the Central Highlands of Mexico

In Mesoamerican pottery traditions, the use of dyes or pigments to decorate ceramic pieces dates back to, at least, the Early Formative period. The origins and characteristics of these dyes differ across temporal and spatial contexts, and evident variation depends on many factors (tradition, preferred style, availability of materials, processing technique, etc.). From among a wide range of slips, two colors predominate: white and red. The application of slips of these colors began at an early stage of the early Formative and endured throughout pre-Hispanic history.

This paper focuses primarily on the use of white slips in ceramic materials from various sites located in the Central Highlands of Mexico. Through the application of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), we have analyzed the white slips of ceramic fragments that correspond to the Middle Formative and Epiclassic chronology, specifically Coyotlatelco red on white. The results of these analyzes permit a fuller understanding of the long tradition of using white coloring of various origins. In the case of the materials tested, from the Toluca Valley, it is argued that the application of diatomite, widely available in the lacustrine region as a pigment, has a long tradition since at least the Middle Formative.

Dr. Sugiura received her doctorate in Anthropology from the UNAM in Mexico City, where she is now a Full-time Researcher in the Institute for Anthropological Research and has received several distinctions, including membership in Mexico's National System of Researchers (SNI-Level III) and PRIDE. For the past four decades she has worked in the Toluca Valley conducting surface surveys and archaeological research at several sites and extensive excavations at Santa Cruz Atizapán. She has also carried out ethnoarchaeological research on pottery production and lakeside lifeways in the High Lerma. She has directed or participated in more than 20 archaeological projects and prepared posters, papers and keynote conferences for 158 national and international congresses. Her publications include over 90 scholarly articles and books. Dr. Sugiura has imparted several courses at the Colegio de México, the Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and is responsible for designing the curriculum for the undergraduate program in Intercultural Development and Management in the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters at the UNAM. In addition, she has directed 44 Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral theses, and participated in the Tutorial or Advisory Committees of another 29 students at different levels.

Demetrio Mendoza earned his Doctorate in Materials Engineering at the Autonomous University of Querétaro, and is now a researcher in the Materials Science Department of the National Institute for Nuclear Research (ININ). He has directed, or collaborated in, over 15 archaeological projects, and participated through papers or conferences in more than one hundred national and international congresses. He has over 70 academic publications, 35 of which were edited internationally. Dr. Mendoza has been active in teaching in the Faculty of Chemistry at the UAEMex, the Center for Archaeological Studies at the Colegio de Michoacán, the Faculty of Chemical Engineering at the BUAP, the Mexican Association of Microscopy, and the University Liaison Center at the BUAP. Also, he has served as a thesis supervisor at the B.Sc. and M.Sc. levels as a member of 7 Thesis Committees: 3 Bachelor theses, 3 Master's theses, and 1 Doctoral thesis.

A graduate of the undergraduate program in archaeology at the Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mr. Sánchez has fieldwork experience in Taretan, Michoacán, Metzquititlan, Hidalgo, Xochicalco, Morelos, and the Balsas River Valley, Guerrero. He has collaborated in archaeological excavation projects in northern Portugal, San Mateo Atenco and Santa María del Rayón, State of Mexico, and at Stonehenge in Britain. At the UNAM, he was named Assistant Researcher in the "Coyotlatelco Pottery in the Basin of Mexico and the Toluca Valley" project, while at the ININ he participated as an Auxiliary Operator of Basic MEB Functions. He has written 6 papers and prepared 2 posters for presentation at national and international events.