“Obsidian was more than a tool—it was a symbol of power, a medium of ritual, and a cornerstone of commerce.”
A City Built on Stone
In the heart of ancient Tenochtitlan, the Mexica capital, obsidian held a role far beyond that of a cutting tool. Recent compositional analysis of 788 obsidian artifacts from the Templo Mayor—the empire’s central ceremonial temple—reveals a complex web of trade and ritual that sustained Mexica society.
Published in PNAS1, the study found that nearly 90% of these artifacts were made from obsidian sourced from the Sierra de Pachuca, a region famed for its green volcanic glass. This particular variety wasn’t just prized for its beauty—it was deeply symbolic, associated with the legendary city of Tollan, and likely served as a spiritual conduit in Mexica religious ideology.
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