![]() ![]() Understanding the origins of the obsidian mirror can help researchers retrace the paths of such objects from a time when appropriation occurred frequently. ![]() Ashmolean Museum/University of Oxford/Antiquity Publications Ltd This is a portrait of John Dee from 1594. Items of such significance to the Aztecs would have been intriguing to the Europeans exploring Mexico. The Aztecs believed that obsidian had spiritual significance, and it was used in their medicinal practices, as well as a way to ward off bad spirits or even capture souls by using the reflective nature of the volcanic glass. Tezcatlipoca’s name also means “smoking mirror.” Gold bar found 40 years ago in Mexico was part of a plunder by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés NO ARCHIVES Handout/INAH - National Institute of Anthropology and History/Reuters INAH - National Institute of Anthropology and History/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. “So it is even possible that some of the circular mirrors like John Dee’s were specially made by Aztec craftsmen at the time of the conquest of the Aztec Empire to send back to Europe.”Īn x-ray detector scans a large gold bar found decades ago in downtown Mexico City, part of the plunder Spanish conquerors fleeing the Aztec capital after native warriors forced a hasty retreat, is seen in this handout photograph released to Reuters by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) on January 9, 2020. “We know that Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés sometimes commissioned items from Aztec craftsmen so he could send them back to the Spanish court,” Campbell said. The researchers estimate that Dee’s mirror is about 500 years old, most likely made in the final decades before the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 1521, Campbell said. The third mirror and the slab are made of obsidian from the town of Ucareo, another obsidian site in Mexico.Ī study on the findings published Wednesday in the journal Antiquity. Dee’s mirror and a similarly designed mirror were made using obsidian from Pachuca, a city that is a source of obsidian the Aztecs used. ![]() The analysis showed that all four were made using Mexican obsidian. Courtesy INAHĪrchaeologists discover over 100 skulls at Aztec site in Mexico City “Later he became involved in divination and the occult, seeking to talk to angels through the use of scryers (those who divine the future), who used artifacts – like mirrors and crystals.”Īrchaeologists have discovered another section of a wall of skulls in Mexico City. “John Dee is a remarkable historical figure, a Renaissance polymath – interested in astronomy, alchemy and mathematics – and confidant of Elizabeth I,” Campbell wrote in an email. This included Dee acting “as an advocate of voyages of discovery, establishing colonies and improving navigation,” said Stuart Campbell, study author and professor at the University of Manchester. Dee served as the queen’s astrologer and also consulted with her on science. The obsidian mirror with the Elizabeth I connection belonged to John Dee, an adviser of hers from when she became queen in 1558 and through the 1570s. An analysis of the obsidian mirror, made from volcanic glass, and three other similar objects at the British Museum revealed their Mexican origins. An obsidian “spirit mirror” used by a confidant of Queen Elizabeth I is actually a product of the Aztec culture, according to new research. ![]()
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