Maya Blue

Description

Maya Blue is one of the most extraordinary pigments of the ancient world, created by combining the deep blue dye extracted from Indigofera suffruticosa (añil, a native Central American indigo plant) with the fibrous clay mineral palygorskite. The dye molecules bond at high heat with the channels of the clay, creating a pigment of unmatched brilliance, permanence, and cultural significance.

The resulting powder is a luminous sky-blue with subtle turquoise undertones. In painting, Maya Blue is semi-transparent, lightly granulating, and produces radiant, ethereal washes in watercolor and tempera. Its stability surpasses nearly all other natural organic–mineral pigments, retaining vibrancy for centuries even in tropical climates.

History

First developed by the Maya around the 8th century CE (possibly earlier), Maya Blue was used extensively in wall paintings, codices, ceramics, and sacred rituals. Its formula was a closely guarded tradition, blending indigo dye with palygorskite clay sourced from regions in Mexico such as Oaxaca and the Yucatán Peninsula.

Unlike ordinary indigo dyes, which fade or wash away, Maya Blue is nearly indestructible: it resists acids, alkalis, solvents, biodegradation, and centuries of weathering. Archaeologists have uncovered murals at Bonampak, Chichén Itzá, and other Maya sites that still shine with brilliant blue centuries later.

Spanish chroniclers noted its ceremonial importance, including use in incense, offerings, and ritual body painting. Its creation represents a pinnacle of indigenous chemical knowledge—an intentional fusion of organic and mineral chemistry long before modern science could explain it.

Today, Maya Blue remains a marvel studied by archaeologists, chemists, and artisans, and is still made by traditional methods using true añil (Indigofera suffruticosa) and Mexican palygorskite.

Pigment Information

Pigment Type: Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Pigment

Components: Indigo (Indigofera suffruticosa) + Palygorskite (fibrous magnesium aluminum silicate clay)

Suitable Mediums: Oil, Watercolor, Tempera, Fresco, Mixed Media

Lightfastness: Exceptional (virtually permanent)

Opacity: Semi-Transparent

Other Names: Añil Maya Blue, Indigo–Palygorskite Blue

Color Index Code: Natural (no CI designation; indigo CI = NB1 when unbound)