Pre-Columbian, southern Mexico and northern Central America, Mayan Territories, Late Classic, ca. 550 to 900 CE. A group of five obsidian cores, five obsidian eccentrics (two scorpions and three centipedes), and a chert eccentric centipede. The Maya, familiar with the giant form of centipede that can grow to a foot long, seem to have believed that the sun's rays could be transformed into these creatures. Just as the sun passes at night into the underworld, they connected them to forces of decay, darkness, and rebirth, and they are shown in Maya art transforming into the Vision Serpent. Stones carved not as weapons, but into interesting shapes called "eccentrics", had sacrificial and ceremonial use for the Maya, and are often found as offerings in caches inside of stone monuments and other architectural features. Size of largest: 3.5" W x 2" H (8.9 cm x 5.1 cm)

Obsidian - "iztli" to them - fascinated the ancient Mesoamericans; the Aztecs even had a god, Tezcatlipoca, who was the Lord of the Smoking Obsidian Mirror. If you have ever touched or held obsidian - particularly obsidian that has been worked by an artisan into a stone tool - you will understand its dark appeal - its smoky color, smooth surface that is cool to the touch, and shockingly sharp edges. In a world without metal, this sharp quality was especially important for ceremonies of ritual bloodletting and human sacrifice. The difficult-to-obtain material came from volcanic sources in the Sierra Madre of Mexico and in Guatemala, traded hundreds of miles to meet the demand for sharp cutting tools and ritual objects, and then were struck using a deer antler or small hammer stone to form blades and other shapes Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; ex-private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection

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The two largest "centipedes" have small losses to legs. All others are intact with small areas of encrustation in lower profile areas.