Chromatic analysis of the finish of the 17th century wall of the Santo Domingo fortress in Dominican Republic

Abstract

The defense system of the city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, began in 1503 with the construction of the fortress and Tower of Homage. In 1567 the wall that encloses the fortress was completed, and around 1653 the platform or shooting battery was built at the bottom of the fortress. The rest of the walled system of the city of Santo Domingo was begun in 1543 and took about 200 years to complete, after several interruptions. This military architecture has been little studied, including its chromatic finishes that had an impact on the general perception of the urban landscape. In this article, a chromatic analysis of part of the finish of the 17th century wall of the fortress of Santo Domingo is carried out by performing nondestructive tests on six stratigraphic coves. Additionally, optical, chemical, mineralogical and microstructural analysis was carried out, using UV-VIS-NIR Spectrophotometry, Raman Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM/EDX), Munsell Color System and Digital Colorimeter. The results obtained have allowed to obtain the quantitative characterization of the color of each paint layer and the chemical composition of the pigment used in each case. By relating the data with its historical evolution, they help to better understand the military complex and provide essential information to address the restoration tasks.