Obsidian Carving

By pre-columbian cultural heritage The valley of Teotihuacán, Mexico, is rich in the artistic manifestation of the carving of the obsidian stone, volcanic glass that by its color, shine and hardness contrasts gradually colorations that are diluted between black and gray. Holder of aesthetic values and ritual symbolism since ancient Mexico, obsidian has been an excellent material for making knives, pen knives and projectile points. In polishing it, expert sculptors have obtained reflective surfaces to make mirrors, masks, sculptures and scepters, as well as earrings, beads and badges with which they decorated the images of the gods and adorned the high civil and military dignitaries of that time. Since then the traditional craft has evolved and transcended in the creation of valuable symbolic pieces of great quality due to the meticulous work and the long time that expert craftsmen, men, women and young people dedicate at the present time to the art of carving the stone magic and sacred: the obsidian.

Artisan: Familia Cuevas
Teotihuacán, Estado de México, México

Text by: Laura Landeros Zuno.
Translation from spanish: Alejandra Vázquez.
Sources: Grandes Maestros del Arte Popular, Primera reimpresión, 2001, Fomento Cultural Banamex, México, D.F., http://artesdemexico.com, http://www.mexicodesconocido.com, https://sites.google.com/site/rechazadoyembutidodemetales/, http://www.buenastareas.com/ensayos/Rechazado-De-Metales/2701763.html, https://bifea.revues.org/4057?lang=en, http://www.piteadofino.com/piteado_fino_113.htm.