Reflecting on the History and Use of Rectangular Obsidian "Mirrors" from Central Mexico: Reinterpreting Old Museum Collections

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper highlights the relevance and potential of collections-based research through a case study of rectangular obsidian "mirrors" from Central Mexico, typically associated with the Aztec, housed at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). To date these highly polished obsidian objects are found exclusively in museum contexts, and classified as "mirrors," however most recent research indicates that they are colonial objects that were most likely commissioned by the Spanish and used for various purposes. Spanish accounts imply that such objects were crafted by native flint knappers, however a general analysis of the morphology and the manufacture of obsidian mirrors has yet to be accomplished. Additionally, Spanish chroniclers indicate multiple obsidian crafting communities located near major obsidian sources. Raw material provenance studies could therefore reveal if there were multiple communities involved in the manufacture of rectangular obsidian mirrors, or if this art was exclusively practiced at one specific area still to be identified. This presentation focuses on six rectangular, highly polished obsidian objects from NMAI´s collections previously interpreted as "mirrors," and will discuss their manufacture through techno-morphological analysis, the significance of raw material provenance, their potential functions, and why this specific material was chosen.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24817