Oct. 13, 2020

Blowpipes and their metalworking applications: New evidence from Mayapán, Yucatán, Mexico.

Latest publication for Dr. Elizabeth Paris and co-authors.
Experimental furnace
Experimental tuyère and furnace setup, at the MIT metallurgy forge. Elizabeth Paris

Congratulations to Dr. Elizabeth Paris on her most recent publication in PLOS ONE.

Paris is second author on this publication which documents the first archaeologically documented tuyères for pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica. Tuyères, or blowpipe tips, have been hypothesized to be used in metallurgical production in ancient Mesoamerica. The blow pipe tips are just part of the process of creating metallurgical tools such as ceramic crucibles and blowpipes. This paper describes the tuyères and reconstructs possible processes used by ancient Mayapán metalworkers for introducing oxygen to metal furnaces during metal casting. 

Meanwell, Jennifer L., Elizabeth H. Paris, Carlos Peraza Lope, Linda M. Seymour, and Admir Masic. "Blowpipes and their metalworking applications: New evidence from Mayapán, Yucatán, Mexico." PloS one 15, no. 9 (2020): e0238885.

The article is open access and can be read in full here: ttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238885