You may not have heard this yet! I found it by accident:

[Judi Lynn]

Ancient Maya Used "Glitter" Paint to Make Temple Gleam
Dave Hansford
for National Geographic News

February 7, 2008
The ancient Maya painted some of their ornate temples with mica to make them sparkle in the sun, a new study suggests.

Scientists discovered traces of the shiny mineral while analyzing flakes of paint taken from the Rosalila temple in Copán, Honduras.

The temple, built in the sixth century A.D., today sits "entombed" in a giant pyramid built around it.

The covering of sparkling paint likely gave the sacred site a dazzling appearance, said the study's lead author, Rosemary Goodall, a doctoral student in physical sciences at Australia's Queensland University of Technology.

"The mica pigment would have had a lustrous effect," Goodall said.

"Mica is used today in paints for that very purpose—to create a shimmering finish to the paint."

More:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080207-maya-temple.html

[L. Coyote]

1. Mica has been reported in part of Teotihucan, without mention of paint, TTBOMK