Pyrotechnological knowledge in the pre-Hispanic Maya society: Magnetic and infrared spectrometry surveys of limekilns in the western Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico)

Abstract Lime production structures and their combustion were investigated in the western Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico). Limekilns were excavated and the specific calcination temperature for each kiln was calculated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). A temperature range of 750–850 °C was estimated for the furnaces used for lime production. This unambiguously confirms the thermoremanent origin of magnetization carried by kiln samples and thus the validity of archaeomagnetic dating. Rock-magnetic and magnetic studies were carried out on eight well-identified limekilns. Archaeomagnetic dating based on the full geomagnetic field vector indicated that five of the kilns were last used between 900 and 1050 CE and three of the kilns were used between 1460 and 1630 CE. The absolute chronology provided in the present study is linked to the constructive splendor in the northern plains of the Maya area.