Characterization of XVI Century Wall Paint and Lime Mortar in the Façade of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Abstract

The Cathedral of Santo Domingo (1521–1541), is the oldest in the New World. The main façade was finished in 1540 by Spanish builders from the Kingdom of Castile, Spain, built with Coralina limestone ashlars joined with lime mortar and as a finishing, color was applied directly to the stone, served as decoration and protection. Over time the color and the plaster has been lost, leaving few traces. For this reason, the aim of this research is to characterize a XVI century wall paint and lime mortar on the façade of Cathedral of Santo Domingo using Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM), Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive Analysis X-ray (SEM/EDX), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). For this purpose, two micro samples were taken, one of paint and one of mortar. In conclusion four layers were found in the paint sample. Three of them were paint (orange, orange, and dark brown) and one is plastering mortar, which corresponds to the base (whitish). Regarding the mortar sample, it has a light beige in color and a microcrystalline texture with abundant porosity. It is composed mainly of calcite, with a small amount of gypsum.