Chemical analysis of bitumen paint on classic period Central Veracruz ceramics, Mexico

Black paint is common on Remojadas style ceramics of Central Veracruz, Mexico, dating to 100 BCE–CE 600. An early study considers this paint to be Moraceae latex, with some bitumen. The present study analyzes 20 samples from the site of La Joya, from the Remojadas culture: paint from 14 jars and 5 figurines, and 1 residue of bitumen processing inside a jar, using standard bitumen analysis combining Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry and δ13C isotopic values, and compares the results to published data from Gulf Coast oil seeps. The conclusion is that the samples are bitumen without latex added, which probably comes from the same local seep group. The study provides a third set of data for bitumen analysis in the Americas, offering comparable information on this important but little known resource in the ancient cultures of the New World.