Unprecedented Survey of Aztec Obsidian Reveals Coast-to-Coast Trade Network

The Aztec Empire as soon as hosted an expansive business community that introduced volcanic glass to its capital from proper throughout Mesoamerica, from coast to coast.

The biggest compositional find out about of obsidian artifacts discovered within the historical Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan has now published the far-flung affect of the Mexica tradition – the most important and maximum robust faction of the Aztec Alliance.

The 788 valuable obsidian gadgets analyzed come with guns, urns, earrings, pendants, scepters, and adorned human skulls. They seem to have been sourced from around the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, even from the lands of rival governments.

The discovery speaks to the industrial prowess of the Aztec Empire at its top.

“This work not only highlights the Mexica Empire’s reach and complexity but also demonstrates how the archaeological sciences can be leveraged to study ancient objects and what they can tell us about past cultural practices,” says anthropologist Jason Nesbitt from Tulane University in america.

The Aztec Empire is understood to have used obsidian ubiquitously. This volcanic glass is more difficult than extraordinary metal, fractures easily into an edge sharper than a razor blade, has a mirror-like high quality when polished, and is available in various stunning colours.

Researchers have discovered obsidian gadgets at Aztec websites in abundance, however hardly has earlier analysis introduced in combination one of these huge assortment for research of the mineral’s origins.

“This kind of compositional analysis allows us to trace how imperial expansion, political alliances, and trade networks evolved over time,” explains lead writer and anthropologist Diego Matadamas-Gomora from Tulane.

Working with Mexico’s Templo Mayor Project and the National Institute of Anthropology and History, Matadamas-Gomora and associates have laid out a timeline and a map for masses of obsidian gadgets discovered within the Aztec’s late-capital – which now sits underneath the ancient heart of Mexico City.

Nearly 90 p.c of the haul can also be traced to Sierra de Pachuca, about 94 kilometers (58 miles) northeast of Tenochtitlan – a area this is identified for its inexperienced and golden volcanic glass.

The remainder of the obsidian gadgets are derived from seven other places, a few of which sit down a ways outdoor the traditional lands as soon as ruled by way of the Mexica between 1375 and 1520 CE.

In the early levels of the Mexica tradition, earlier than the Aztec Alliance shaped, Tenochtitlan’s obsidian used to be sourced most commonly from within sight Pachuca. But after the consolidation of the Empire round 1430 CE, obsidian from rival polities turns out to had been delivered to the capital in better numbers.

For example, the authors traced some obsidian blades and flakes to the area of Ucareo, positioned 173 kilometers northwest. This space used to be ruled by way of the Purépecha Empire, who spoke a special language to the Aztecs.

“It is well known that the Mexica had quarries and workshops in Sierra de Pachuca to get direct access to this type of obsidian,” write the authors of the research.

“However, even if the Mexica exploited and transported obsidian in large quantities from Pachuca to Tenochtitlan, this situation did not limit their access to obsidian from several other deposits, some of them beyond their political borders.”

Most of the obsidian artifacts analyzed by way of the anthropologists have been on a regular basis pieces, used as guns or for building.

These gadgets would have almost definitely been purchased by way of town citizens in Tenochtitlan’s nice marketplace. Historical paperwork recommend traders from quite a lot of areas in Central America would acquire right here to promote their items.

“The presence of at least seven sources of obsidian indicates that the Mexica expanded their commercial interactions during this period,” writes the group.

Ritual gadgets product of obsidian, on the other hand, have been hardly constructed from ‘overseas’ volcanic glass. These sacred relics have been most often sourced from the within sight Sierra de Pachuca, almost definitely as a result of the original inexperienced colours.

By finding out the origins of Aztec obsidian, researchers hope to additional map the motion of products throughout Mesoamerica, following within the steps of a long-lost empire.

The find out about used to be revealed in PNAS.