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Obsidian Art in Jalisco, Mexico

Local Artisans Produce Sculptures of Shimmering Colors

Sep 9, 2008 John Pint

Obsidian is natural volcanic glass of many colors and sheens. Grassroots artisans in Mexico are using Jalisco obsidian to produce true works of art.

The state of Jalisco in western Mexico houses some of the world’s biggest obsidian deposits. In Pre-Columbian times, obsidian was one of the most precious commodities in the Americas. It was used to make arrowheads, knives and flat-bladed swords so sharp they could be used to decapitate a horse with a single blow.

Obsidian was also used in ancient times to produce fine jewelry and sculptures. While metal has replaced obsidian for making cutting tools, it is still appreciated as a good medium for fine art.

The Obsidian Workshop of Navajas

In an obscure workshop located in the sleepy village of Navajas, just outside Guadalajara, Mexico, the skills for turning a chunk of obsidian into a fine sculpture are being rediscovered. Eleno Espinoza is a little man wearing a sombrero and a warm smile that radiates serenity. His establishment is located in a cinderblock yard partially covered by a tin roof, where the air is always filled with dust and the roar of spinning grindstones.

In a corner of the workshop, a big man in bib overalls pushes a huge chunk of obsidian into a howling buzz saw—with his bare hands. Given the environment, visitors are usually amazed to discover high quality art work scattered on top of a card table in the middle of the workshop.

The Colors of Obsidian

There may be a sleek, ultra-modern black sculpture of a cat next to a red and black sphere made of sangre-de-indio (Indian blood) obsidian. Espinoza leads his visitors out from under the tin roof and suddenly, a tear-shaped piece which seemed black in the shade comes to life in the sunlight, revealing bright bands of color deep beneath the surface. This, he tells his visitors, is rainbow obsidian. Other pieces glow with deep green or blue color and some shimmer with a golden or silvery sheen. All of these many colors of obsidian come from various parts of the state of Jalisco.

When this little workshop first opened its doors, its first productions were small hearts and butterflies. As time went on, however, some distinguished customers recognized the craftsmen’s skills and encouraged a number of Mexico’s best sculptors to bring clay models to the workshop. “Do you think you could you make these things in obsidian?” they asked. As a result, the artisans of Navajas began to turn out true works of art.

The Properties of Natural Glass

Obsidian is lava which, has cooled quickly, forming a natural glass which has no crystal structure. Precisely because of this, obsidian blades are much sharper than metal ones, but, of course, they are also very fragile.

The colors in obsidian come from traces of different minerals embedded in it. A microscopic amount of iron makes it red, while a tiny bit of copper produces green. A procedure known as Neutron Activation Analysis makes it possible to find out exactly where an ancient obsidian artifact originally came from. Recently, this technique was used to prove that an Anasazi knife found in the USA was made of obsidian from a deposit in Jalisco.

If, in the past, obsidian artifacts traveled far and wide due to their utility, today they are likely to travel even farther, thanks to the glowing colors of this natural glass and the extraordinary skills of artisans like Don Eleno Espinoza and his co-workers.

The copyright of the article Obsidian Art in Jalisco, Mexico in Latin Am/Caribbean Travel is owned by John Pint. Permission to republish Obsidian Art in Jalisco, Mexico in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Colors of Obsidian Found in Jalisco, Mexico	Eleno Espinoza and his Wife with Obsidian Art	Obsidian Artifact with natural golden sheen
ainbow Obsidian Hearts, Jalisco, Mexico	Obsidian Being Cut with Table Saw