May 16 has been a date marked by significant events throughout history, spanning continents and centuries, each contributing ...

The Aztecs didn't discover obsidian. It was already the most common raw material in Mesoamerica when they arrived in the ...

The Aztec Empire once hosted an expansive trade network that brought volcanic glass to its capital from right across ...

Obsidian was central to Aztec life — not just for crafting sharp tools and sacred offerings, but as a reflection of political ...

Ruins of the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan in Mexico City. Credit: August Dominus / Wikimedia Commons The researchers used portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF), a non-destructive technique ...

Researchers analyzed 788 obsidian artifacts from Tenochtitlan, revealing that the Mexica (Aztec) Empire sourced this important material from at least eight different locations, including regions ...

Although Mexicas favored green obsidian, tool variety shows that multiple obsidian sources supplied the capital via markets, ...

Discover how an analysis of more than 700 objects reveals obsidian came into the Aztec capital from far and wide.

The Aztec Empire may have ended centuries ago, but its presence is far from gone. It lingers in temple ruins, place names, ...

New research uncovers how obsidian artifacts reveal the vast trade networks of the Aztec Empire during Tenochtitlan’s early ...