Blowpipes and their metalworking applications: New evidence from Mayapán, Yucatán, Mexico

PLoS One. 2020 Sep 22;15(9):e0238885. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238885. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

This study presents evidence of two tuyères, or blowpipe tips, used in metalworking at the Postclassic period city of Mayapán. Blowpipe technology has long been hypothesized to be the production technique for introducing oxygen to furnaces during the metal casting process on the basis of ethnohistorical depictions of the process in ancient Mesoamerica. To our knowledge, the tuyères recovered at Mayapán are the first archaeologically documented tuyères for pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica. The dimensions, internal perforation, vitrification, and presence of copper prills within the ceramic fabric, suggest that they were used in pyrotechnological production, likely metalworking, and is consistent with previous evidence for small-scale metalworking at Mayapán. Blowpipe use in metallurgical production is a logical extension of a much longer tradition of blowgun use in hunting, which was likely already present in Mesoamerica by the time metal was introduced to West Mexico from South America. Furthermore, the dimensions of the Mayapán tuyères are consistent with the internal diameter of ethnohistorically-documented blowguns from Jacaltenango in the southwest Maya region. We conducted replication experiments that suggest that when combined with wooden blowpipes, the Mayapán tuyères would have been ideal for small-scale, furnace-based metallurgy, of the type identified at Mayapán from Postclassic period contexts.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Archaeology / instrumentation*
  • History, Ancient
  • Humans
  • Metallurgy / history*
  • Metallurgy / instrumentation
  • Mexico / ethnology

Grants and funding

Dumbarton Oaks Project Grant 2014-2015 Fiscal year, no specific grant number EP, CPL https://www.doaks.org/research/fellowships-and-awards/project-grants National Geographic Society CRE Grant 9486-14 EP, CPL, JM https://www.nationalgeographic.org/funding-opportunities/grants/what-we-fund/ Full names of commercial companies that funded the study or authors: National Geographic Society Initials of authors who received salary or other funding from commercial companies: None National Science Foundation Award (Archaeology Program) 1069128 CPL https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=11690 The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.