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Metallurgy in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica facts for kids

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CopperBellsAxesOrnamentsTuxtla
Copper bells, axe heads and ornaments from Chiapas (1200–1500). These are on display at the Regional Museum in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas.

Imagine a time long ago, before Europeans arrived in the Americas. People in a region called Mesoamerica (which includes parts of modern-day Mexico and Central America) were skilled at many things. But they started working with metals, a craft called metallurgy, a bit later than other parts of the world. The first signs of metalworking in Mesoamerica appeared around 800 CE, especially in West Mexico.

This amazing skill likely traveled north from Central or South America. It probably spread through trade routes by sea. The people who learned these metalworking techniques used many different materials. They even mixed metals to create new ones, called alloys. Some common mixes included copper with silver, copper with arsenic, copper with tin, or even copper with both arsenic and tin.

Metal items made in Mesoamerica generally fit into three groups:

  • Things for everyday use (like tools).
  • Objects for personal decoration (like jewelry).
  • Items for special ceremonies or rituals.

The last two groups, ornaments and ceremonial objects, were the most common. Metals played a very important role in their sacred beliefs and symbols.

Where did metalworking start in Mesoamerica?

West Mexico: The main hub

The oldest and most varied metal objects have been found in West Mexico. This area stretches along the Pacific coast from Guerrero to Nayarit. This suggests that West Mexico was a main center for metalworking. From here, ideas about techniques, shapes, and styles might have spread to other parts of Mesoamerica.

Southern Mexico: Mixtec goldsmiths

For a long time, people believed the Mixtec civilization were the best goldsmiths in later Mesoamerican history. Many gold items found in central and southern Mexico are thought to have been made by the Mixtec people.

Central Mexico: Aztec metalworkers

New discoveries show that the Aztec civilization also had their own metalworking skills. Before, gold objects from this area were often thought to be Mixtec.

Huastec area: Local creations

Some metal items made locally have been found in sites from the late Postclassic period in the La Huasteca region.

How metalworking grew in West Mexico

Phase 1: From 600 to 1200/1300 CE

Early metalworkers in West Mexico mainly used copper. They sometimes added a little arsenic to the copper. They also occasionally used silver and gold.

During this time, bells made using the lost-wax casting method arrived from lower Central America and Colombia. This method involves making a wax model, covering it in clay, melting the wax out, and pouring molten metal into the empty space.

Other items, like ornaments and simple tools such as needles and tweezers, were made by cold-working metal. This means shaping metal without heating it much. The ideas for these small, useful items seem to have come from southern Ecuador and northern Peru. Small copper rings, often found in burials, were also common in both Ecuador and West Mexico during this period.

Many early metal items found in West Mexico were lost-wax cast bells. Unlike similar bells from coastal Ecuador, West Mexican bells were cast, not shaped by hammering. These bells were usually made of copper alloys. They looked a lot like bells from Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica.

Phase 2: From 1200/1300 to 1521 CE

Messico, mixtechi-aztechi, pendenti a forma di testa, 1400-1515 ca, oro fuso 01
Gold pendants shaped like heads, made by the Mixtec or Aztec people, around 1400–1515. These are at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

During this later period, metalworkers became much more skilled. They made both everyday items and special objects that showed a person's high status. Michoacán became a major center for metal technology. Metal items also started appearing in nearby areas like Guerrero and Jalisco.

Mixing metals (creating alloys) became more common in this phase. Metalworkers experimented with different mixes to change the color, strength, and how easily the metal flowed when melted. Objects that were once just tools now became important status symbols.

The discovery of copper-tin bronze alloys suggests that West Mexico might have had contact with Peru during this time. However, many of the metal mixes used in West Mexico seem to have been invented locally.

Experts like Dorothy Hosler believe that ancient Mesoamericans were special in how much they cared about the beauty of metals. They loved the bright sounds and colors that metal objects made when they moved. Since metalworking arrived later in Mesoamerica, it was seen as something new and special. This made metal items a sign of elite (important and powerful) status.

It's thought that Mesoamerican metalworkers made specific alloys to get certain colors. They especially liked the bright gold colors from adding tin and the silver shades from high amounts of arsenic. Some artifacts from West Mexico have a lot of tin or arsenic, much more than needed just to make the metal stronger. This shows they cared more about the color than just the strength.

Metalworkers in pre-Columbian West Mexico really valued the bright shine and sound of metals. This suggests their creations were often used in sacred and symbolic ways. Gold and silver colors might have been linked to sun and moon gods. The sound of bells was sometimes connected to fertility rituals and protection during war.

Where metal artifacts have been found

Metal artifacts have been discovered at many archaeological sites across Mesoamerica. These finds help us understand where metalworking was practiced and what kinds of objects were made.

Central Mexico

(Around 900–1450 CE) Here, people found both useful tools and ceremonial objects, as well as items for personal decoration.

  1. Atotonilco, Hidalgo
  2. Calixtlahuaca, Mexico
  3. Tenayuca, Mexico
  4. Tenochitlan, Distrito Federal (D.F.)
  5. Teotihuacan, Mexico
  6. Texcoco, Mexico

West Mexico

(Around 800/900–1450 CE) This region yielded many useful, ceremonial, and decorative metal objects.

  1. Amapa, Nayarit
  2. Apatzingán, Michoacán
  3. Atoyac, Jalisco
  4. Cojumatlán, Michoacán
  5. Coyuca de Catalán, Guerrero
  6. Culiacán, Sinaloa
  7. Jiquilpan, Michoacán
  8. Peñitas, Nayarit
  9. Río Balsas, Guerrero
  10. Tancitaro, Michoacán
  11. Telpalcátepec, Michoacán
  12. Tepic, Nayarit
  13. Texmelincan, Guerrero
  14. Tuxcacuesco, Jalisco
  15. Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán
  16. Yestla, Guerrero
  17. Zacpu, Michoacán
  18. Zamora, Michoacán

Eastern Mexico

(Around 900–1500 CE) Mainly personal ornaments and ceremonial items were found here.

  1. Cerro Montoso, Veracruz
  2. Chachalacas, Veracruz
  3. El Tajin, Veracruz
  4. Isla de Sacrificios, Veracruz
  5. Pánuco, Veracruz
  6. Tampico, Veracruz

Oaxaca area

(Around 900–1500 CE) This area had useful, ceremonial, and decorative metal objects.

  1. Coatlán, Oaxaca
  2. Coixtlahuaca, Oaxaca
  3. Ejutla, Oaxaca
  4. Guiengola, Oaxaca
  5. Huajuapan, Oaxaca
  6. Huitzo, Oaxaca
  7. Juquila, Oaxaca
  8. Mitla, Oaxaca
  9. Monte Albán Oaxaca
  10. Sola de Vega, Oaxaca
  11. Tehuantepec, Oaxaca
  12. Teotitlán del Camino, Oaxaca
  13. Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca
  14. Tlacolula, Oaxaca
  15. Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca
  16. Tututepec, Oaxaca
  17. Xaaga, Oaxaca
  18. Yanhuitlán, Oaxaca
  19. Zachila, Oaxaca

Southern Maya Area

(Around 450(?)–1500 CE) This region produced useful, ceremonial, and decorative metal objects.

  1. Chipal, Guatemala
  2. Chutixtiox, Guatemala
  3. Copán, Honduras
  4. Kaminaljuyú, Guatemala
  5. Motagua River valley, Guatemala
  6. Los Naranjos, Honduras
  7. Nebaj, Guatemala
  8. Quemistlá "Bell Caves", Honduras
  9. Quiriguá, Guatemala
  10. San Augustín Acasaguastlán, Guatemala
  11. Tajumulco, Guatemala
  12. Tazumal, El Salvador
  13. Zacualpa, Guatemala
  14. Zaculeu, Guatemala

Central Maya Area

(Around 900–1500 CE) Here, useful, ceremonial, and decorative metal objects were found.

  1. Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas
  2. El Paredón, Chiapas
  3. Polol, Guatemala
  4. Santa Rita Corozal, Belize
  5. Nojpetén, Guatemala
  6. Tikal, Guatemala
  7. Yaxhá, Guatemala
  8. Palenque, Chiapas
  9. Wild Cane Cay, Belize
  10. Lamanai, Belize

Northern Maya Area

(Around 1000–1450 CE) This area also had useful, ceremonial, and decorative metal objects.

  1. Chichén Itzá, Yucatán
  2. Dzantún C’hen, Yucatán
  3. Mayapán, Yucatán

Northern Mexico

(Around 1000–1450 CE) Mainly useful objects and personal ornaments were found here.

  1. Casas Grandes, Chihuahua
  2. Chalchihuites, Zacatecas
  3. Hervideros, Durango
  4. La Quemada, Zacatecas
  5. Navocoyán, Durango
  6. Chihuahua, Chihuahua
  7. Schroeder site, Durango
  8. Venis Meicis, San Luis Potosí
  9. Zape, Durango
  10. Babicora, Chihuahua
  11. Rancho San Miguiel, Chihuahua
  12. Santa Maria R., Chihuahua
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