Mirror Realities: Reflections on Highly Polished Formative Period Objects

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Hidden Gems: New Research on Lapidary, Lapidarists, and Polished Stone and Shell in the Americas" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

A plethora of recent investigations have explored the identification, composition, manufacture, purposes, and meanings of Mesoamerican mirrors. These studies purport that the earliest mirrors were made of mica, dating as early as 1650 BCE, followed in the Early Formative period by mirrors of iron ores such as magnetite, hematite, ilmenite, and pyrite, and in the Classic and Postclassic period by obsidian mirrors and possibly pools of water, or even mercury. Further research suggests that Mesoamerican mirrors served as high-status ear, headdress, pectoral, and lower back ornaments; were likely used for magnification and self-contemplation, starting fires, elite gifting, and ritual divination; and served as eyes in sculpture. Proposed ritual meanings of mirrors include representing flowers, eyes, faces, caves, supernatural portals, fire, water, webs, shields, the sun, and the world. Nevertheless, a careful rereading of the site excavation reports reveals that still more remains to be explored regarding mirrors, particularly for the Formative period. Reanalysis of reflective artifacts suggests that more types of early mirrors were produced in different materials than currently recognized, and their forms suggest that they served a variety of purposes – some functions as of yet unconsidered, while others foreshadow functions that mirrors assumed in later Mesoamerican cultures.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Hidden Gems: New Research on Lapidary, Lapidarists, and Polished Stone and Shell in the Americas

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51797