Ion beam analysis of ancient Mexican colored teeth from archaeological sites in Mexico City

Infant teeth with extremely rare colored enamel regions white, blue-gray and brown, have been analyzed by Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS). The teeth were part of human being sacrifices to deities of the Mexica culture, Mexico, corresponding to the Late Post-classic period (1325-1521 A.D.). Comparisons to normal teeth from the same historical period indicate that the colored ones present larger mean amounts of Mn and Fe, while Zn and Sr do not differ too much. Possible inorganic compounds responsible for the different colorations are indicated