Abstract

Context. We study the spatially resolved properties of 343 elliptical galaxies with the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at the Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey.Aims. Our goal is to understand the fundamental processes of formation and quenching of elliptical galaxies.Methods. We used the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys for accurate morphological classification. Based on integrated spectroscopic properties and colors, we classified seven classes of elliptical galaxies. We inferred the stellar age and metallicity gradients out to a 1.5 effective radius (R-eff) of classical "red and dead", recently quenched, and blue star-forming ellipticals (CLEs, RQEs, and BSFs), corresponding to 73%, 10%, and 4% of the sample, respectively. Additionally, we reconstructed their global and radial histories of star formation and mass growth.Results. The mass- and luminosity-weighted age gradients of CLEs are nearly flat or mildly negative, with small differences between both ages. The respective metallicity gradients are negative (del log[Z(mw)] =