ESTUDIO ESTRUCTURAL Y MICROESTRUCTURAL DE PIGMENTOS BLANCOS ARQUEOLÓGICOS DE LA SOCIEDAD MOCHE (200-750/800 D.C.) POR DIFRACCIÓN DE RAYOS X Y REFINAMIENTO RIETVELD

Pampa La Cruz is one of the most important archaeological complexes on the Peruvian north coast. One of the main challenges is the study of its wall paintings and pigments, for the purpose of preservation and enhancement. With this perspective, the present study was oriented to qualitatively and quantitatively determine the mineralogical composition of the wall pigments of this site and to identify the presence of deterioration agents. The X-ray diffraction technique was applied and the diffraction intensities were analyzed by the refinement of the crystal structure of the theoretical model applying the Rietveld method. The refinement results provided information on the parameters associated with the structure and microstructure of each identified phase, as well as, its weight percentage. Quartz, clays and halite salt were identified in all pigment samples. These results differ from those obtained in previous research regarding the white pigment from the Huaca de La Luna site.