This is a well-provenanced set of THREE Pre-Columbian West Mexico Shaft-Tomb Culture BIFACIAL ARROWHEADS. Each is complete and in pristine condition, very rare for what they are and being obsidian! They would have been wrapped and hafted onto an arrow shaft. Each was masterfully fashioned out of obsidian and this set shows three DIFFERENT types of designs!
These obsidian Pre-Columbian arrowheads were found in the Lake Sayula Region of Jalisco, Mexico and come from the famous Dr. Allen Heflin Collection, formed from his work in Mexico from 1946 into the 1970's. Obsidian projectile points from Pre-Columbian cultures are rarely preserved in this fine condition and are much scarcer than realized.
Intact mineral deposits in micro-crevices are a testament to its age and lack of any modern alterations.
No lithic type is more mesmerizing and flakes as beautifully as obsidian. It was so highly prized by all the Central American Pre-Columbian cultures and for good reason. The sharpest cutting edge of any substance in the world, can only be obtained with obsidian. Obsidian is unique in that it can be flaked down to one molecule in width, hence the popularity with this incredible material in Pre-Columbian weapons and tools. Even today, obsidian scalpels are still used in modern medicine throughout the world.
The bow and arrow was a weapon less popular than the atlatl but used in both war and hunting. The bows were made of one piece of wood, not a composite of horn, wood and sinew like the Steppe Nomads of Central Asia. The arrowheads were made from obsidian, chert, bone, or charred wood. Bow and arrows were valued differently among peoples of ancient Mexico. For example, the Tarascan were famous archers, inflicting heavy defeats on other nations with their use of metallurgy and their mastery of archery. For Chichimeca nomadic groups, living mainly by hunting, the bow was essential in their lifestyle. To the Aztec, the Tlahhuītōlli was the name of their war bow which was constructed from the wood of the tepozan tree, about five feet long and stringed with animal-sinew. Archers in the Aztec army were designated as Tequihua.