Properties and technical characteristics of Casira pottery, Jujuy, Argentina

Abstract

In this work, the results of a multi-technique characterization of a type of pottery production with high cultural and economic relevance from the only potter town in Argentina are presented and correlated. Raw materials, a prepared paste, and ceramic samples were studied. Chemical, structural, textural, microstructural, and thermal features were assessed and described in terms of the raw materials characteristics, fabrication, and firing conditions. Some distinctive properties of this Casira ceramic production, like the thermal expansion coefficient and other technological properties, are reported for the first time. This allowed the establishment of characteristic behaviors of the ceramics under study, which also constitute the basis for their traceability.