article_snippet.sent: When the remains of a prehistoric woman nicknamed The Red Lady of El Mirón were first uncovered Herself and her peers were stained with a sparking red material, later found to be red ochre from a haematite crystal.
article_snippet.sent: Haematite comes from the Greek for 'blood' and red ochre (pictured) is often used as a pigment, particularly in cave paintings but The Red Lady was found covered in the substance when The Red Lady's remains were discovered .
article_snippet.sent: When The Red Lady's remains were first uncovered researchers from the University of New Mexico led by Lawrence Straus were stained with a sparking red material, later found to be red ochre from a haematite crystal which as has since faded.
article_snippet.sent: Haematite comes from the Greek word for 'blood' and Haematite is often used as a pigment, particularly in cave paintings.
article_snippet.sent: Haematite is not known why The Red Lady was painted in this way, and researchers from the University of New Mexico led by Lawrence Straus are unsure whether The Red Lady body or clothes were covered in the pigment.
article_snippet.sent: In Mayan practices, for example, bodies were covered in a similar way using blue pigment to signify bodies were sacrifices to the gods.