Obsidian Mirror

The Obsidian comes from an ethnic community, from southern Mexico. The Mines where the Obsidian is taken belong to the community.

The artisan takes pieces of stone that he pays to the people, he works with emery boards and makes the pieces.

Diameter:    11 cm

Height: 1cm

The peoples of ancient Mexico made mirrors by brightening obsidian, called iztli in Nahuatl, the Aztec language.

The obsidian mirror, called tezcatl, was an instrument of black magic used only by sorcerers. Contemplating its smoky depths allowed trips to other times and places,

to the world of gods and ancestors. Obsidian mirrors present an apt metaphor for images of ancient Mexican sites and objects: they reflect the observer and the object at the same time.

The obsidian mirror was the main attribute of the Aztec deity Tezcatlipoca, whose name means ‘smoky mirror’. A supreme deity of the Aztecs and the patron of the ruling houses,

Tezcatlipoca was the lord of the night and all its creatures — especially the jaguar, a powerful animal thought capable of crossing between the kingdom of earth and the underworld.

Tezcatlipoca is frequently depicted with an obsidian mirror, either in place of his foot, on his chest, or as part of his headdress.

Clean

Using a clean dry cloth, rub gently on the Obsidian.