Arts at Argonne

DIANA MAGALONI, art conservator and staff researcher at the Institute of Art Research of the University of Mexico, has been studying pre-Columbian mural painting techniques since 1990. Her work is part of the ``Pre-Columbian Mural Painting Project,'' directed by Dr. Beatriz dela Fuente of the University and the Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico. She has published a number of articles in scientific journals and is the author of a recent book on the murals of Cacaxtla.

In her lecture, Ms. Magaloni will discuss the restoration of mural paintings on ancient stone buildings in Teotihuacan near Mexico City and at various sites near Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico. The buildings had stone walls covered with plaster to make a smooth backing for the murals. Because the Teotihuacanos used a system of painted symbols to inscribe their history onto their murals, these paintings are an important resource for understanding the history of pre-Columbian societies.