Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A huge and gorgeous mottled red-brown and black stone spear point created from a gorgeous chunk of mahogany obsidian (volcanic glass with iron inclusions). The piece is well-crafted, symmetrically knapped to points at both ends, obviously intended to be an impressive object of prestige given its large scale and rare source of stone. Quite unusual, not only for its size, but also because we do not ofen see obsidian blades created by the Colima. Custom stand. Size: 1.9" W x 12.25" H (4.8 cm x 31.1 cm)

Obsidian - "iztli" to the indigenous - 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 points 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 in Guatemala, was traded across hundreds of miles to meet the demand for sharp cutting tools and ritual objects, and was struck using a deer antler or small hammer stone to form blades and other shapes. The Colima buried their dead in shaft tombs deep below their residences, alongside the remains of their ancestors. These tombs were richly furnished with ceramic figures, vessels, offerings, and precious stone items of jade and obsidian.

Provenance: Ex-Sevilla Collection, Pomona, CA

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#119694

Slight wear to edges and some white mineral deposits on surface.