Metallurgy in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica facts for kids
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.
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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
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.
- Atotonilco, Hidalgo
- Calixtlahuaca, Mexico
- Tenayuca, Mexico
- Tenochitlan, Distrito Federal (D.F.)
- Teotihuacan, Mexico
- Texcoco, Mexico
West Mexico
(Around 800/900–1450 CE) This region yielded many useful, ceremonial, and decorative metal objects.
- Amapa, Nayarit
- Apatzingán, Michoacán
- Atoyac, Jalisco
- Cojumatlán, Michoacán
- Coyuca de Catalán, Guerrero
- Culiacán, Sinaloa
- Jiquilpan, Michoacán
- Peñitas, Nayarit
- Río Balsas, Guerrero
- Tancitaro, Michoacán
- Telpalcátepec, Michoacán
- Tepic, Nayarit
- Texmelincan, Guerrero
- Tuxcacuesco, Jalisco
- Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán
- Yestla, Guerrero
- Zacpu, Michoacán
- Zamora, Michoacán
Eastern Mexico
(Around 900–1500 CE) Mainly personal ornaments and ceremonial items were found here.
- Cerro Montoso, Veracruz
- Chachalacas, Veracruz
- El Tajin, Veracruz
- Isla de Sacrificios, Veracruz
- Pánuco, Veracruz
- Tampico, Veracruz
Oaxaca area
(Around 900–1500 CE) This area had useful, ceremonial, and decorative metal objects.
- Coatlán, Oaxaca
- Coixtlahuaca, Oaxaca
- Ejutla, Oaxaca
- Guiengola, Oaxaca
- Huajuapan, Oaxaca
- Huitzo, Oaxaca
- Juquila, Oaxaca
- Mitla, Oaxaca
- Monte Albán Oaxaca
- Sola de Vega, Oaxaca
- Tehuantepec, Oaxaca
- Teotitlán del Camino, Oaxaca
- Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca
- Tlacolula, Oaxaca
- Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca
- Tututepec, Oaxaca
- Xaaga, Oaxaca
- Yanhuitlán, Oaxaca
- Zachila, Oaxaca
Southern Maya Area
(Around 450(?)–1500 CE) This region produced useful, ceremonial, and decorative metal objects.
- Chipal, Guatemala
- Chutixtiox, Guatemala
- Copán, Honduras
- Kaminaljuyú, Guatemala
- Motagua River valley, Guatemala
- Los Naranjos, Honduras
- Nebaj, Guatemala
- Quemistlá "Bell Caves", Honduras
- Quiriguá, Guatemala
- San Augustín Acasaguastlán, Guatemala
- Tajumulco, Guatemala
- Tazumal, El Salvador
- Zacualpa, Guatemala
- Zaculeu, Guatemala
Central Maya Area
(Around 900–1500 CE) Here, useful, ceremonial, and decorative metal objects were found.
- Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas
- El Paredón, Chiapas
- Polol, Guatemala
- Santa Rita Corozal, Belize
- Nojpetén, Guatemala
- Tikal, Guatemala
- Yaxhá, Guatemala
- Palenque, Chiapas
- Wild Cane Cay, Belize
- Lamanai, Belize
Northern Maya Area
(Around 1000–1450 CE) This area also had useful, ceremonial, and decorative metal objects.
- Chichén Itzá, Yucatán
- Dzantún C’hen, Yucatán
- Mayapán, Yucatán
Northern Mexico
(Around 1000–1450 CE) Mainly useful objects and personal ornaments were found here.
- Casas Grandes, Chihuahua
- Chalchihuites, Zacatecas
- Hervideros, Durango
- La Quemada, Zacatecas
- Navocoyán, Durango
- Chihuahua, Chihuahua
- Schroeder site, Durango
- Venis Meicis, San Luis Potosí
- Zape, Durango
- Babicora, Chihuahua
- Rancho San Miguiel, Chihuahua
- Santa Maria R., Chihuahua
