The discovery also sheds light on how the Aztec society evolved — introducing more standardized religion and control before the empire fell in 1521 — by showing how obsidian use changed over time.

An obsidian “spirit mirror” used by a confidant of Queen Elizabeth I actually came from the Aztec culture, according to new research. An analysis of the obsidian mirror, owned by John Dee in ...

The discovery also sheds light on how the Aztec society evolved — introducing more standardized religion and control before the empire fell in 1521 — by showing how obsidian use changed over time.

The Aztec Empire once hosted an expansive trade network that brought volcanic glass to its capital from right across Mesoamerica, from coast to coast. The largest compositional study of obsidian ...

The Aztecs were big fans of obsidian, and often used the razor-sharp volcanic glass to slice through the chests of human sacrifices in order to extract the still-beating heart. Such was their love ...

Tulane University. "Vast Aztec trade networks behind ancient obsidian artifacts." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 May 2025. <www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2025 / 05 / 250512153346.htm>.

The discovery also sheds light on how the Aztec society evolved — introducing more standardized religion and control before the empire fell in 1521 — by showing how obsidian use changed over time.