The Aztecas believed they were guided by a blood-thirsty deity they called Huitzilopochtli who communicated to them through four priest-chieftains called teomama. The exact location of this region is not known but other than it was northwest of present-day Mexico City, the former center of the Aztec empire, but how far, it is a mystery. emerging from their former homeland called Aztlan or "place of the herons", an island in a lake where men went out to fish from boats. Aztec codices record that they began their wandering journey in 1100 A.D. The origin of the Aztec (Azteca) Empire is legendary. Colonial era codices exist in greater number with roughly 500 separate codices known, showing extensive pictograms as well as being written in Spanish, Latin and in the original Nahuatl language. These codices were created by the Aztecs in pictorial form, as well as by other indigenous tribal sources, all of which had no written language. An extensive and detailed collection of written and pictorial records exist for us today called CODICES (CODEX if singular) were produced before Spanish contact by the native tribes themselves, and afterwards during the Colonial period. While many ancient civilizations remain a mystery, little can be left to conjecture when it comes to the details of the Aztec way of life. Common household razor blades are 100 times thicker than obsidian! Obsidian is 15 times sharper than surgical steel, It’s no wonder that obsidian became a valuable tool in medicine and warfare when you consider that at an obsidian scalpel can rival diamond in the fineness of its edge. Because of its sharpness, obsidian leaves less of a scar and does less tissue damage than a scalpel or knife made of any other substance known to Man.
As a matter of fact, aside from using lasers in modern surgery, the preferred scalpel is one from obsidian. Obsidian was prized by the ancient Pre-Columbian Indians and even today, it is still used in modern medicine for scalpel blades as obsidian can flake to an edge one molecule thick, thereby attaining a level of sharpness impossible to achieve with a steel scalpel. As the core became used up, the blades began showing a curve in the end as the base of the core became smaller and more tapered.įinding Pre-Columbian prismatic obsidian blades in a COMPLETE UNBROKEN state is VERY RARE. The core was turned around and blades were struck off around the entire circumference of the standing core. The top was hit downward to flake off long, rectangular strips of the stone. The blades were struck from a carefully prepared blade core stood on its end.
Caution must be applied in acquiring ancient obsidian artifacts because the stone does not patinate on the surface like other lithic types.Ĭore-struck obsidian prismatic blades were a hallmark industry of the Aztecs. Mineral and sediment can be seen deep in flake scars which are indicators ONLY found in AUTHENTIC specimens such as this. The tip has been masterfully flaked to a point. The base has been carefully flaked to a reduced end to allow it the blade to be hafted to a handle. They believed obsidian, like everything in nature, had a spirit.īecause of the age and fragile nature of this blade, it is amazing it survived intact and complete. Aztec noble classes wore obsidian jewelry and Aztec priests polished the obsidian to a mirror-like sheen and claimed to divine the future with it. Green obsidian was precious and transparent green obsidian was most sought after. Blood-letting tools like this can be seen in the ancient codices showing Indians piercing their lips, tongues, cheeks and foreskins to bleed themselves as an offering to the gods. It was made from transparent green CRYSTAL obsidian - a color of obsidian prized and reserved only for ritual, prestige and the aristocracy of the culture. This is a RARE blood-letting prismatic scalpel blad e for blood sacrifice from the Pre-Columb ian Aztec Culture.
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