Degradation phenomena of Templo Pintado painted plasters

Weathering processes of Templo Pintado (Painted Temple) caused by environmental and climatic agents have been investigated in this work. The temple is part of the archaeological complex of Pachacamac, situated in a desert area of Western Peru characterized by high relative humidity, temperature, relevant winds, and remarkable solar radiation. These atmospheric conditions result in wet-dry cycles and wind erosion, eventually inducing pulverization, exfoliation, and detachment in plaster and painted surfaces. The seasonal variation of atmospheric conditions was monitored on a daily basis for five years, revealing that the seasonal cycles exhibit great similarity. Experimental results show a linear correlation between loss of material and environmental temperature. In particular, degradation increases with temperature rises. Moreover, high temperatures are combined with stronger winds and drying of materials (wet-dry cycles), which contribute to accelerating degradation kinetics.