Santander, February 19th-22nd 2008 - Aranzadi

The Maya nacreous shell garment of Oxtankah (Quintana Roo, México)
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All the pieces have only one polished surface,
in which the lines described before are softened
by multiple fine and diffuse lines over the bigger
ones (Fig. 6). In all the cases there are straight and
parallel bands of 4 microns, they correspond to the
experimental polishing made with a nodule of
chert (Fig. 7).
The edges have straight-parallel-intercrossed
lines well marked produced by lithic tools,
like obsidian and chert flakes (Fig. 8). Every cut
in the pieces was regularized. By the use of the
SEM, in 14 pieces of S. gigas and S. alatus, we
observed a succession of intercrossed bands of
4 microns width, with other diffuse ones of 100
microns, corresponding to the experimental
ones made of chert flakes and basalt. The 14
pieces of P. imbricata, have straight or curved
lines smaller than 2 microns width, similar to the
Figure 6. Archaeological polishing (a) and experimental polishing with chert (b) at 30x.
Figure 7. Archaeological polishing (a) and experimental polishing with chert (b) at 1000x.
Figure 8. Archaeological edge (a) and experimental cutting with obsidian flakes (b) at 30x.
MUNIBE Suplemento - Gehigarria 31, 2010
S.C. Aranzadi. Z.E. Donostia/San Sebastián