Abstract

This paper presents the initial findings of an analysis of black paint on Aconcagua Salmon type vessels of the Aconcagua Culture (Central Chile) using LA-ICP-MS and Raman spectroscopy. Five chemical groups were identified in the process, two composed mainly of copper, iron and clay, two of lead and copper, and one of manganese and iron. Raman spectra confirmed that there were differences among the minerals of these chemical groups and identified those of Cu as copper sulfides, those of Fe as hematite, magnetite and goethite, and those of Mn as jacobsite. The geological information on chemical elements and minerals specific to each metallogenic belt in the study area narrowed down the range of possible colorants found at each archaeological site. We conclude that there was a common recipe for preparing black paints in which copper and clay were always added—the former as a constituent mineral and the latter as a binder—and that these were combined with other minerals in preparing local recipes, according to what was available in each locality.