[SunkenCiv]

The blue-green colour of veszelyite seems to have been chosen to blend in with and even imitate jade

[SunkenCiv]

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	Gods Graves Glyphs	Sometime in the past ten years or so there was an article (probably in Archaeology) regarding the secret of Mayan blue. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
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[SunkenCiv]

2004:
http://www.esrf.eu/computing/scientific/people/srio/publications/SAB2004.pdf

2008:
http://www.azulmaya.com/investigacion/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226162953.htm
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080226-maya-blue.html

[wildbill]

The maggots coming out of the funerary mask are a nice touch.

[wildbill]

Now if someone could only solve the secret of Maya Angelou.

[Bernard Marx]

This adds new information on the sophistication of mining activity at the time and trade information. Veszelyite also comes from Chile but the Puebla deposit seems a more plausible source.

The Maya -- and Olmec before them -- loved green and blue jadeite from the Motagua Valley in Guatemala. When none was available they carved any green stone at hand including serpentine. I'm delighted archaeologists now seem interested in tracking such minerals to their source. I think it will provide many new insights.

[winodog]

Those are some great masks.
Nice pics

[lepton]

http://www.mindat.org/min-4176.html

Formula: (Cu,Zn)2 Zn(PO4)2 ·2H2O

System: Monoclinic Colour: Green, blue, greenish ...
Hardness: 3½ - 4
Name: Named after A. Veszeli (1820-1888), Hungarian mining engineer, who discovered the species.

A rare secondary Cu-Zn mineral occurring in the oxidized zones of base metal deposits.