Provenance and Manufacture of Mixtec Style Objects Found on the Surrounding Structures of the Precinct of the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan

Abstract

Seventy six speckled greenstone items have been recovered on the surrounding structures of the Aztec precinct of the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan. Several researchers have identified the material as marble. Also, these objects have been labeled as Mixtec style due to the raw materials involved in their manufacture as well as their apparent similarity with other known Mixtec objects. The main objective of this essay is to determine the raw materials and the technology employed on its manufacture. Based on earlier composition analysis using Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), it became clear that all items are made of the same calcite-serpentine mineral alloy, which probably comes from the Oaxaca region. It is interesting the homogeneity and standardization among these pieces by analyzing them with experimental archaeology and the characterization of their manufacturing traces. Comparing their raw material, morphology and techniques with those of Mixtec sites, the analysis revealed that they are not in fact related at all; however they do coincide with the manufacturing process of Tenochca (Aztec) style objects. This fact might point towards the actual origin of the raw materials, their obtainment and the technology behind the elaboration of luxury goods at Tenochtitlan.