In this article, we discuss the usage and availability of red pigments in the Huanchaco Maritime Community (HMC), a multi-generational group of people who subsisted on fishing practices and exploited other marine resources for 2600 years. This study aims to measure the degree of continuity and change in the use of red pigments (made of hematite and cinnabar), an essential element in their daily lives and ceremonial activities along the Andean coast. We conducted an elemental analysis of 17 red pigment samples from two archaeological sites in Huanchaco, on the North Coast of Peru. The methods employed were scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and conventional x-ray diffraction (XRD) refined using the Rietveld method. There was a significant decrease in the usage of red pigments, which shifted from domestic practices to state-sponsored craft production and then to exclusive use by powerful political entities performing large-scale ceremonies and practices. In other words, the red pigment became a critical good that was in the control of political and religious elites.

在本文中，我们讨论了万查科海洋社区 (HMC) 中红色颜料的使用和可用性，该社区是一个多代人的群体，他们以捕鱼为生并开发其他海洋资源已有 2600 年之久。这项研究旨在衡量红色颜料（由赤铁矿和朱砂制成）使用的连续性和变化程度，红色颜料是安第斯海岸沿线人们日常生活和仪式活动中的重要元素。我们对来自秘鲁北海岸万查科两个考古遗址的 17 个红色颜料样品进行了元素分析。所采用的方法包括扫描电子显微镜 (SEM)、能量色散 X 射线光谱 (EDS) 以及使用 Rietveld 方法改进的传统 X 射线衍射 (XRD)。红色颜料的使用量显着减少，从国内实践转向国家资助的工艺品生产，然后是强大的政治实体在进行大型仪式和实践时专用。换句话说，红色颜料成为政治和宗教精英控制的重要商品。