The geopolitics of obsidian supply in Postclassic Tlaxcallan: A portable X-ray fluorescence study

Geochemical Variability in the Paredón Obsidian Source, Puebla and Hidalgo, Mexico: A Preliminary Assessment and Inter‐Laboratory Comparison

“…Recent work by Millhauser et al . (), using geological specimens with well‐documented provenience, identified the probable division of Paredón into two chemical sub‐sources, verification of which forms the basis for this study.…”

“…In order to verify the preliminary finding (Millhauser et al . ) that obsidian from portions of the Paredón source area represents at least two distinct compositional groups (Paredón‐A and Paredón‐B), we conducted an inter‐laboratory analysis of obsidian specimens at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), the Elemental Analysis Facility (EAF) at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, and the Research Laboratories of Archaeology (RLA) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.…”

“…Geochemical analysis revealed that, contrary to expectations, the material from location PAR01 was chemically distinct from existing Paredón materials, which sparked the provisional division of the source into two sub‐sources: Paredón‐A (corresponding to previously characterized obsidian from the source area and our specimens analysed from locations PAR02, PAR03 and PAR04) and Paredón‐B (corresponding to our specimens analysed from location PAR01) (Millhauser et al . ).…”

“…; Millhauser et al . ) and the village of Calcahuas (Fauman‐Fichman ). Paredón obsidian has been identified in Colonial contexts at Yautepec, Morelos (Smith et al .…”

“…A recent study of geological samples from Paredón suggested spatial variability in its geochemistry (Millhauser et al . ). Here, we confirm that Paredón has at least two spatially and geochemically discrete sub‐sources (Paredón‐A and Paredón‐B) and we establish the chemical signature of each through a comparative study at three laboratories.…”