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Der Hauch von Gelbbei einer Reihe von Wandgemälden in mehreren Anlagen der Maya kann dem Vorliegen indigoider Verbindungen zugeschrieben werden, darunter Isatin und Dehydroindigo, die an Palygorskit, eine lokale Phyllosilicat‐Tonart, gebunden sind. SEM/EDX‐, TEM‐, UV/Vis‐Spektroskopie und Voltammetrie von Mikropartikeln ergaben, dass die Mayas in der Lage waren, Indigo, Maya‐Blau und „Maya‐Gelb“ nacheinander herzustellen.

The yellow hueof a series of samples from wall paintings in several Mayan archaeological sites can be attributed to the presence of indigoid compounds, including isatin and dehydroindigo, attached to palygorskite, a local phyllosilicate clay. SEM/EDX, TEM, UV/Vis spectroscopy, and voltammetry of microparticles show that the ancient Mayas could prepare indigo, Maya Blue, and “Maya Yellow” during successive stages.

The pigments were important in the funerary customs of the ancient Maya. They could be introduced as an offering inside the tombs or burials, and were also used to wrap the dead bodies, as if it were a funeral shroud. In the tombs and burials of royalty and high social classes the use of pigments for this purpose is well documented, and physicochemical studies are focused on their identification. This scientific contribution shows the results obtained when analyzing two reddish pigmenting materials from the grave goods of the tomb 19 of the archaeological site of Rio Azul, (Guatemalan Department of Petén), using a multi-technique approach including microscopy, diffraction, spectroscopic, electrochemical and chromatographic techniques. The results have enabled the identification of the inorganic and organic materials composing these pigmenting materials found in a ceramic posthumous offering dish and further discussion mainly has been focused on the geological source of the inorganic materials and the possible origin of the organic matter accompanying these two pigmenting materials.