Resumen de The occurrence of tortoiseshell on a pre-Hispanic Maya mosaic mask

Jack Frazier, Reiko Ishihara-Brito

• The Dumbarton Oaks Maya mosaic mask is shown to have included tortoiseshell on an earlobe�remarkable since this is the only demonstrated use of this material in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica. The authors present diagnostic evidence for the presence of tortoiseshell, account for its absence in pre-Hispanic artefacts because of decay, and propose its use (in the mask) as being symbolic of the ocean.