The Aztecs were big fans of obsidian , and often used therazor - sharp volcanic glassto slice through the chest of human forfeit in society to extract the still - beating heart . Such was their love of this mesmerizing and venomous textile that the Aztecs – also known as the Mexica – essay out obsidian from multiple sources across Mesoamerica , including some in territorial dominion controlled by their enemies .
To watch more about how the Mexica hold their belovedobsidian , the authors of a young study psychoanalyse 788 obsidian artifacts from the Templo Mayor , which is the principal temple in the ancientAzteccapital of Tenochtitlan in the heart of Mexico City . Of these , around 90 percent came from an rock outcrop in the Sierra de Pachuca , which was prized for its green - tinted obsidian bonk as tolteca itztli - meaning " obsidian of the masters " .
This viridescent material was symbolically associated with the mythical urban center of Tollan – where the creator god Quetzalcoatl was said to reside – and was used to make almost all of the ritual artifact base at Tenochtitlan . However , the study authors note that the site also check a surprising number of mundane obsidian tools – such as those used by construction prole – which were made from in the altogether material from other , less prestigious sources .
" Although the Mexicas preferred green obsidian , the eminent diversity of obsidian types , mainly in the form of non - ritual artifacts , suggests that obsidian tools from multiple beginning reached the capital of the Empire through grocery alternatively of direct acquisition in the outcropping , " said trail study writer Diego Matadamas - Gomora in astatement .
In their fresh newspaper publisher , the researchers explicate that obsidian from sources other than Sierra de Pachuca was promptly useable to Tenochtitlan ’s inhabitants , adding that “ it was not necessarily a prestige good for them , and it seems that the body politic did not control its distribution . ”
Overall , the sketch generator identifiedobsidianfrom seven different rock outcrop besides Pachuca , include some site in enemy territory . For instance , some of the artifacts came from Ucareo , which lay outside the Mexica land and was contain by a rival group call the Purépecha – whom the Aztecs try out but failed to subdue .
The study authors also mention a work shift in obsidian use after the Aztec Triple Alliance of 1430 CE , when Tenochtitlan consolidate its power by make a pact with the other Nahua - speaking city states of Texcoco and Tlacopan . After this point , obsidian used for ritual purpose became extremely standardized and controlled , with memory access to Pachuca obsidian becoming restrict to the elites for ceremonial utilisation .
The study is published in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .
