Investigation of Mortars from Historical Tiles in the Mortuary Architecture of the Nossa Senhora da Soledade Cemetery: Characteristics and Luso-Brazilian Cultural Heritage

Abstract

ABSTRACT The first official public cemetery in Belém do Pará (Brazil), opened in 1850, is called Nossa Senhora da Soledade Cemetery. Its mortuary architecture encompasses a collection of tiled graves whose tiles were imported from Europe or manufactured nationally between the 19th and 20th centuries. Thus, the mortars used in these tiled systems represent the construction techniques of their respective periods and also stand as witnesses to the passage of time and the countless alteration processes. In this study, we collected 32 samples, comprising base-layer and tile mortars, and conducted chemical and mineralogical characterization and analysis of their mechanical and physical properties. The primary analyses were visual inspection, determination of the binder:aggregate ratio, colorimetry, particle size of the aggregates, petrography, and SEM/EDS. The results showed significant differences between the base-layer and tile mortars, mainly concerning the type of binder. Mortars set in the 19th century were similar to the older ones based on lime, with solid evidence of pozzolanic and even hydraulic reactions, while those from the 20th century, possibly made of Portland Cement, presented hydraulic characteristics.