VALENCIA, Spain, April 2 (UPI) -- Spanish researchers say they've discovered how ancient Mesoamerican peoples made "Maya Blue," a durable pigment used for centuries on paintings and pottery.
Palace walls, sculptures and pieces of pottery produced by the ancient Maya incorporate the enigmatic Maya Blue, and although scientists have known the ingredients are a plant dye, indigo, and a type of clay known as palygorskite, the recipe of how they were "cooked" and combined has been a mystery.