"...Where does the individual artisan stop and the craft begin? Where are the boundaries between persons and things?" - John E. Clark
While browsing the galleries at the Museum of Native American History (MONAH) in Bentonville, Arkansas, a visitor would find themselves looking at a strange, zucchini-shaped black obsidian object found in Mexico. While it looks simple or odd-shaped, it has a fascinating history of its past and future. Today I would like to discuss this object, the obsidian core, and its relationship to crafting, religion, and overall society in Mesoamerica. The core can be a start to prolonged and extensive use of obsidian
as a manufactured object. It lies in-between the raw material of the Earth and the used domestic object. I should first describe what this core even is. An obsidian core is a mass of obsidian where an obsidian crafter (itzcopenhquen in Nahua) breaks off smaller strips of obsidian for further use in a broader market. The obsidian core is also very significant in connection to the Mexica's pantheon, and, the more extensive, Mesoamerican gods and goddesses, as many Mesoamerican societies attached meaning and religious significance to obsidian. The legends of obsidian rooted in ancient Mexico still ring in the minds of residents today.
Crafters, artisans, and religious officials hold obsidian in a familiar and special place. Obsidian, or Iztli, is an integral part of society, used in several crafts, objects such as jewelry, and rituals. Obsidian would be their primary object of cutting, as they did not have scissors—or any metal tools—until the Spanish conquest and colonization in the early 1500s. In considering this, obsidian had to be used for everything, from domestic meals to high crafts. Bookmakers, barbers, and tailors used obsidian flakes from the core within their trade. Placing yourself in the shoes of one of these artisans, it becomes hard to imagine using an obsidian blade in place of a modern knife or scissors. The Aztecs added wooden handles to these blades by using pine resin as a glue. Although wood is often first to be lost to time, we do have rare examples remaining. The intense familiarity with the material would be a part of the everyday craft; one should understand and judge how each blade is wearing. The sounds, feel, and overall integrity of the material would be known differently in each craft. Let us take a moment to go back a little further in the obsidian craft to examine how these artisans even obtained the material. Obsidian is supplied through a complicated system of various processing networks for these craft industries, the military, and religious activities. It is first mined, then knapped close to the site, transported to a local workshop for finer crafting, then transported and distributed in the broader trade network of goods. In this long process, several artisans and crafters are finetuning the obsidian object, carefully giving new meaning and significance with every step.
From the beginning of mining the obsidian, whether found in a cave or surface mine, obsidian is held to a higher religious significance. Obsidian is a type of volcanic rock that has a glassy texture created by rapidly cooling lava. Archaeologists have found fragments of incense burners at mining sites, which have ties to a religious setting. Obsidian has a terrestrial origin and ties to the underworld in Mesoamerican mythology. Caves, mountains, and underground spaces hold significance as sacred places. Miners would have likely held a ritual before starting the process to commune with the underworld gods to ensure safety and not upset them with extracting the material. There are many gods and goddesses associated with obsidian, such as Xiutechuhtli (god of fire), Xipe (god of flaying), and Itzpapolotl (warrior goddess known as the "Obsidian Butterfly"), the possible patron goddess of the obsidian crafter's guild. According to the Relación de Michoacán, Curicaueri, the sun god of the Uacusechas, was represented physically as an obsidian core. Those who obtained a part of the core had power and political credibility. Obsidian knives would have also been used in sacrifice and bloodletting rituals, which was thought of as offerings to the gods.
Obsidian would have been more than just a knife to us today; it would have held a special place in society for its religious powers and importance in daily life. While obsidian's legends and stories maintain in the local residents' lives today, obsidian also continues to find use in modern society. For example, obsidian is used by modern ophthalmic surgeons for its ability to be an incredibly sharp tool. If you are interested in learning more, I will say, I did not dive deep into the various uses, meanings, and relationships. I would encourage you to read more about the subject by referring to my sources list.
References:
George Grant MacCurdy, "The Obsidian Razor of the Aztecs," American Anthropologist, Jul.- Sept. 1900, pp. 417-21.
Marc Levine and David M. Carballo. Obsidian Reflections: Symbolic Dimensions of Obsidian in Mesoamerica. Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2014.
Mary Miller, The Art of Mesoamerica from Olmec to Aztec. New Haven and London: Thames & Hudson, 2019.
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