In 1993, the Petexbatun Regional Cave Survey discovered a previously unknown composite material in the Cueva de los Quetzales, Petén, Guatemala. The composite material, consisting of layers of cotton fabric impregnated with ceramic slipping material, was analyzed by the Smithsonian Institution’s Conservation Analytical Laboratory (now the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education [SCMRE]). Recently, a micro-CT scan of one of the sherds has led the authors to question the established position that use of the composite technology was highly specialized and produced exclusively for the elite.
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