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Source Attribution and the Utilization of Obsidian in the Maya Area

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Hattula Moholy-Nagy
Hattula Moholy-Nagy*
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania Museum, Mailing address: 1204 Gardner, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-4321 (e-mail:hattula@sprynet.com or hattula@umich.edu)
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Abstract

Assignment by instrument of Maya obsidian artifacts to geological sources has demonstrated the presence of several sources and variations in their distribution over time and space. Of special interest is the minor, but long-standing, presence of green and gray obsidian from Central Mexico. More attributions of large, carefully selected samples are necessary to continue the considerable progress already achieved in understanding Maya obsidian procurement and use. However, assignment by visual means is not an appropriate method for the Maya area because of the range of optical characteristics exhibited by gray Guatemalan and Central Mexican obsidians, some of which are common to several geological sources. Moreover, the determination of obsidian sources must not be considered an end in itself. Combining source results with behavioral typology and archaeological data can further our understanding of obsidian procurement and use in past cultural context. Finally, it would be helpful if analysts reported trace element composition in a standardized manner, so that archaeologists can easily compare the results from different laboratories.

La asignación instrumental de los artefactos mayas de obsidiana a fuentes geológicas ha revelado una variabilidad considerable en la distribución de fuentes utilizadas a través del tiempo y su ubicación. De interés especial es la presencia menor pero prolongada de obsidiana verde y gris de los fuentes de México Central. Hay que conseguir más atribuciones de numerosas muestras cuidadosamente escogidas para continuar el progreso considerable hasta ahora logrado. De esta manera podemos entender la obtención y uso maya de la obsidiana. Sin embargo, la asignación de fuentes por medios visuales no es un método apropiado para el área maya debido a la amplia gama de características ópticas mostrada por las fuentes de obsidiana gris de Guatemala y México Central. Además, la identificación de fuentes geológicas de obsidiana no puede ser su propia meta. Hay que combinar datos sobre las fuentes con una tipología de comportamientos de los artefactos y sus contextos arqueológicos para avanzar en entendimiento de las fuentes diferentes en el contexto cultural pasado. Sobre todo, hay que presentar el tipo del artefacto, porque la tipología es la fundación de todos tipos de investigaciones arqueológicas. Finalmente, sería muy útil sí los analistas reportaran la presencia de los elementos trazos en una manera estandardizada para facilitar la comparación de los resultados entre laboratorios diferentes.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 14 , Issue 3 , September 2003 , pp. 301 - 310
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 by the Society for American Archaeology.

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References

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