CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND SOCIOCULTURAL IDENTITY OF HISTORICAL POTTERY FROM PILA, LAGUNA, PHILIPPINES
1. CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION
AND SOCIOCULTURAL IDENTITY
OF HISTORICAL POTTERY FROM
PILA, LAGUNA, PHILIPPINES
De La Salle University, Manila
33rd Philippine Chemistry Congress
May 30 to June 1, 2018
Aniano N. Asor Jr.
Bubbles Beverly N. Asor
Jan-Michael C. Cayme
2. Outline of presentation
I. Research Aims
II. Overview
III. Research insights
- Cultural heritage of pottery
- Sociocultural identity of pottery
III. Context and Method
IV. Data and results
V. Conclusion
3. I. Research Aims
• To categorize chemical characterization as one
of the dimensions of sociocultural identity of
pottery
• To characterize the Pila pottery from Laguna
and determine its chemical components
5. II. Cultural Heritage of Pottery
• Pottery tends to be reserved for pots, dishes and other
functional items while ceramics are fine art pottery
that describes artistic works (Violatti, 2014)
• Ceramic analysis answers complex questions about
economy, subsistence, technological innovation,
social organization, and data (Holmquist, 2017; Hunt,
2017)
6. II. Sociocultural Identity of Pottery
• Identification is constructed on recognition of common
origin or shared characteristics with another person or
group with natural closure of solidarity and allegiance
(Hall, 1996).
• People used pottery for constructing their social identity,
or showing who they were and how they were different
from other people (Carr, 2018)
• 3 dimensions: technology, durability, social visualization
8. III. Context and Method
• Why Pila, Laguna?
Laguna de Bay is a trading route for Chinese
merchants during pre-Spanish period.
• Method/s
- Secondary data analysis
- Chemical characterization
10. III. Chemical Characterization
• Collection of Pottery
• Analysis by Fourier Transform Infrared
Spectroscopy (FT-IR)
• Analysis by X-ray Fluorescence (XRF)
• Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) of lead
(Pb)
14. IV. Data and Results
• Historical Profiling of
Pila Pottery
• Laguna de Bay as
trading route
• Esso-Elizalde Project
(1967)
15. IV. Technology as a Dimension of
Pottery
• Techniques, skills and methods in production
• Thermal shock, tensile strength and crack
propagation
• Types of clay and tempering materials
• Sculpturing, modeling and decoration types
• Porosity, flexural strength, linear shrinkage
and water absorption
16. IV. Durability as a Dimension of
Pottery
• Glaze chemistry and firing temperature
• Relationship of oxide chemistry and fired
durability
• Plenty of Al2O3 and SiO2
17. IV. Social Visualization as a Dimension
of Pottery
• Cultural traditions and social practices
regulate, expresses and transform human psych
• Survey, modeling, prototyping and interactive
visualization
• Pottery associated with social, economic and
symbolic practices
22. FT-IR absorption bands in wave number (cm-1 ) with
relative intensities
sample PPL1 sample PPL2 sample PPL3 vibrational assignment
3446 3450 3442 O-H str. of adsorbed
water
2924 2926 2931 C-H str. of organic
contaminants
1441 1441 1421 C-O str. of calcite
1637 1635 1637 H-O-H bending of
adsorbed water
1085 1084 1084 Al-Si-O str. of
amorphous
aluminosilicate
1045 1051 1051 Si-O str. of clay
minerals
23. FT-IR absorption bands in wave number (cm-1) with relative
intensities
sample PPL1 sample PPL2 sample PPL3 vibrational
assignments
792 793 796 Si-O symmetrical
str. of quartz
646 642 648 Al-O-Si str. of
feldspar
584 582 573 Fe-O bend of
magnetite
530 530 532 Fe-O bend of
hematite
464 467 461 Si-O-Si bending of
silicates
25. V. Conclusion
• Chemical characterization can be another dimension to
deepen and enrich the understanding of the sources of
sociocultural identity of pottery in the Philippines
• Chemical characterization has a wider scope in
determining the source of pottery compared to the other
3 dimensions
• Confirmatory result and analysis of FT-IR and XRF
26. Acknowledgements
• Chemistry Department, De La Salle University
Dr. Jaime Raul Janairo, Chair
Mr. Michael Ajero, Dr. Carmen Tan, Mr. Irving Chiong
• Nympha Pajarillaga, Cytek Solutions, Inc
(www.cytekgroup.com)
• Mr Enrique Cruz, Baranggay Pinagbayanan property
site cutodian
• Ms Teresita Reyes, property caretaker
• Pinagbayanan Barangagay Captain Ruben Albayda