Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. An interesting gathering of 4 hand-knapped obsidian cores used for making blades. They each exhibit an elongated and slender form with a flat base. The fluted sides taper from the base to the rounded tip. Each was at one time a cone shape, but was then flaked into these shapes in order to create razor sharp blades. The blades were created by applying pressure to the base of these cores to flake off a part of the face, which created the fluted surface seen here. Obsidian was a hugely important resource in ancient Mesoamerica, traded far from its source in the volcanic zones of the Sierra Madre in Mexico and Guatemala. Obsidian breaks in a very predictable and controlled way, and the evidence for that is clear. This core would have begun life as a cobble found in a stream bed in the mountain; then it was struck using a deer antler or a small hammer stone. Size of largest: 7.375" L x 1.75" W (18.7 cm x 4.4 cm)

Obsidian - also known as "iztli" - fascinated the ancient Mesoamericans; the Aztecs even had a god, Tezcatlipoca, who was the Lord of the Smoking Obsidian Mirror. The shockingly sharp edges and point of this piece demonstrate its great allure. In a world without metal, this sharp quality was especially important for ceremonies of ritual bloodletting and human sacrifice. The difficult-to-obtain material came from volcanic sources in the Sierra Madre of Mexico and Guatemala, traded hundreds of miles to meet the demand for sharp cutting tools and ritual objects, and then were struck using a deer antler or small hammer stone to form blades and other shapes.

Provenance: Private Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA collection; ex-Dr. David Harner collection, Springdale, Arkansas, USA, acquired between the 1950s and 1960s

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#163371

Chips and losses to faces as shown. Light mineral deposits and earthen encrustations. Fluted profile is well preserved.