Cultural heritage encompasses many aspects and its analysis can be approached from many different points of view,one of which is the study of the materials that have used in the creation of cultural goods.

These materials can be subsumed under the term of geomaterials, defined as those materials of geological origin that, after a process, are used in various industrial sectors, particularly in shaping and preservation of cultural heritage.

The proposed course studies the main geomaterials (natural stone, ceramics, mortar, metal, glass, mud...) of the cultural goods.

At the same time are analyzed the alteration forms for each type of these materials and the  mechanisms of degradation operating in them. It also addresses the fundamental techniques used for conservation and / or restoration of the materials, showing practical examples.

The main objective of the course, whose first edition was held in May 2011, is to provide an overview of the materials used in cultural heritage, especially the built heritage, as well as the main analytical techniques used attending to its characterization and conservation.