Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. An interesting gathering of 4 obsidian cores used for making blades, each exhibiting 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 forms 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. It is always interesting to see the residual materials from the blade creating process! Size of largest: 7.6" L x 2" W (19.3 cm x 5.1 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. In a world without metal, this sharp quality was especially important for ceremonies of ritual bloodletting and human sacrifice.

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

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#163365

Losses and chips to faces of all as shown. Light earthen and mineral deposits. Fluted profile forms are well preserved.