This sculpture made of coarse obsidian with the eye sockets made of shell and the teeth made of bone reminds us that in Mesoamerican art representations of skulls are a constant theme; painted and cut in stone, they represent practices that tell us about the different rituals and ceremonies that included some form of their exhibition.
The devotion consists of the preservation of the skull of an ancestor or person important to the community, which is why this was an act of veneration. The cult of the trophy head, that is, taking the head of a vanquished enemy, carrying it or wearing it as part of their attire, is a very different display linked to a certain code. The term trophy head or trophy skull refers to a prize, though not necessarily the spoils of war, but something acquired or conquered, and the object, head or skull, preserved or displayed as a remembrance, becomes an offering.
As the skulls and their representation were likely regarded as receptacles of natural forces, given that they contained the spirit or soul, obtaining and transforming heads and displaying them, or displaying the skulls instead of burying them is part of the various ceremonies and rituals of many peoples of ancient Mexico from very early times. Christopher Moser in his study Human Decapitation in Mesoamerica, looks at the iconography associated with these practices in the light of archaeological evidence. He records beheading scenes and those of characters that carry or display heads and skulls, practices that were performed in different contexts for a multitude of purposes.
It is important to note that the image of an isolated skull probably has meanings and changing functions through time and space, but they are similar in the way they highlight the physical, ephemeral and supernatural qualities of the human head. The obsidian skull s a series of representations of skulls made of rock crystal found in the Museum of Mankind in Paris, in the British Museum in London and the Smithsonian Collection in Washington D.C., which were produced in modern times, toward the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century.
Microscopic and X-ray studies published in the Journal of Archaeological Science in 2008 showed that certain examples were made of semiprecious stone, exogenous to the American region, and others were worked with substances and procedures that were unknown in pre-Colombian times. In turn, it is pertinent to mention another similar example that belongs to the collection of Dumbarton Oaks, although of lesser dimension and produced in jadeite, also tells us about the practices and interests of collectors. In these examples the development and application of modern scientific techniques and methodologies to determine the way they were made and the material used to produce them are of particular relevance, and teach us a great deal of useful information.
This obsidian skull requires further study in order to discover its production technique and determine the site from which the obsidian came; this is volcanic glass that forms when molten lava cools quickly; and depending on the place of origin, it has a different chemical compositions that allows the geological source to be established, and determine the relations that existed between the regions. In Mesoamerica there are several obsidian deposits for example in Nayarit, in the state of Mexico, while those in Puebla, as well as some of the first great Mesoamerican cities, were founded near their deposits.
As noted by Alejandro Pastrana, due to its physical qualities, obsidian was the most important raw material to the ancient Mesoamericans as it was used to create artifacts that were used in almost every activity be it domestic, medicinal, craft, military or religious. The symbolism of obsidian lies in the fact that its surface is reflective, as Karl Taube has shown. The museum's collection possesses many objects made from this material: small tips that were used to hunt birds, as well as eccentric forms that speak of human sacrifice and decapitation. These objects and the skull show us the various obsidian forms, and the importance of knowing about the techniques used to make these objects.
