**Originally Listed At $400**

Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima, ca. 300 BCE to 300 CE. A beautiful stone spear created from a gorgeous chunk of mahogany obsidian (volcanic glass with iron inclusions). The piece is well-crafted, symmetrically knapped to points at both ends, in a form consistent with prestige items from a rare source of stone. Size: 1.8" W x 9.625" H (4.6 cm x 24.4 cm); 10.1" H (25.7 cm) on included custom stand.

Obsidian - "iztli" to them - fascinated the ancient Mesoamericans; the Aztecs even had a god, Tezcatlipoca, who was the Lord of the Smoking Obsidian Mirror. The shockingly sharp edges and points of this piece demonstrate its great allure. 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. The Colima buried their dead in shaft tombs deep below their residences, alongside the remains of their ancestors. These tombs were richly furnished with ceramic figures, vessels, offerings, and precious stone items of jade and obsidian.

Provenance: ex-private Sevilla collection, Pomona, California, USA before 2000

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

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#143992

Small loss near one tip, with light abrasions and nicks commensurate with age. Light earthen deposits throughout.