Recent Studies of Maya Blue

The mysterious turquoise blue pigment called Maya Blue, seen in this photograph of the mural at Bonampak, has been the focus of scholarly attention since the 1930s, when R.E. Merwin identified it in the murals of Chichén Itzá's Temple of the Warriors.

For the last forty years, the material has been the focus of study by Dean Arnold (Wheaton College). Arnold has combined ethnography, archaeology, and materials science in the study of this peculiarly fascinating color. Read more about this interesting color science:

• Maya Blue, more on the mysterious pigment