My Mayan, Mixtec and Olmec Artifacts

[ShieldJaguar]

Here are some pics of some of my Maya, Mixtec and Olmec artifacts. While working with an archie in Mexico I was able to keep some stuff I found. Everything I found was out of context so was not archaeologically important. Most were field finds. I'd walk fields in my spare time and was able to find lots of stuff. I have bags and bags of obsidian blades, cores and scrapers. I have so many large bags of broken pottery pieces that it's crazy. I was hunting one cave in my spare time and found a bunch of calcium encrusted pottery shards. I used a dental pick set to clean the calcium off and found one piece had a really neat scene etched on it. I'll try to find some pics of that pottery piece. That was a rush to be cleaning it and realize it wasn't just another piece of utilitarian wear. (Went back to that cave the next year and got histoplasmosis from breathing in the bat dung - nasty fungal pneumonia) Cavers/rock shelter hunters please read:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/histoplasmosis/DS00517

Ok, now my pics.

First one is a group of small polished Mayan/Mixtec celts.

Second one is the smallest celt of the group. It measures 1 1/8.

The third celt is 2 3/8.

The fourth axe is 6 3/4. Talk about an awesome axe!

I should mention that there is a red substance dried on a lot of the axes. I had a hunch that it was blood, so we got some luminol and tested some artifacts and sure enough, where the red residue is tested positive for blood. Its not ocher or hematite dried on them, and given that these were found in an area that had a massive battle it makes sense that axes would be left baking in the sun after the user was killed. Pretty neat.

The next one is a large mano. It's 9 1/4 inches long.

The next axe is a nice Olmec pole celt. It's 4 1/4 inches. Olmecs were the first major culture in Mexico which makes this the oldest axe I have.

The next is a Mayan/Mixtec celt. It's 4 3/8 long and has use wear on the bit that looks like it scraped bone. This one tested positive for blood.

[The Grim Reaper]

Great looking artifacts man. Joshua Ream is going to like to see this thread. He loves these kinds of artifacts.

This is the only artifact I have have from that area and it is from the Zapotec culture. Joshua looked at and said it is off of a much larger statue. He showed me a picture of one and they were pretty neat looking and very valuable.

[ShieldJaguar]

Ok. The rest of my pics.

The first one is debatable. It's either a paper beater, fishing net weight or club. Now, this was found up on a mountain far from the river, so fishing net weight seems not likely. It could be a paper beater. They obviously wrapped rope around it for some reason. The Maya used paper beaters to beat papaya leaves into paper. Or it could be they put a rope around it and used it as a club. We found a large number of these in the area.

The next pic is a pestle. Its got finger grooves on one side.

Next are 2 pictures of obsidian blades. I found both blades in fields. The green is from Teotihuacan in Mexico City. The clear is either from Orizaba volcano in Veracruz or a volcano in Guatemala. Can't remember which. Each volcano produces distinct obsidian.

My last pics are of a pot. I believe it's Mayan but not 100% sure. I traded a native that worked as our guide for it. He found it in a cave. It's in great shape with most of the paint still intact. It measures 7 inches across.


Shield

[ohioaxeman]

Ok, I'm jealous! WOW......

[reddirt]

You have a really cool collection there! Love those celts and the bowl! Do you have any pics of the "blood" on the axes?

[ShieldJaguar]

I'll go try to take some pics of the blood now. I tried to take pics of the luminol on the stones lighting up but it was almost 10 years ago and the technology of the digital cameras back then was just bad for dark pictures, so none turned out.

Be back in a couple minutes.

Shield

[ShieldJaguar]

Ok. Here are some pics of the blood on a couple axes.


The first set are of my large 6 3/4 inch axe. It is very well coated in blood. Can't say if it's human or not, only that it's blood. The axe shows no signs of use so if it was used in battle, the carrier never got a chance to use it.

The second is from a smaller 4 3/8 inch, green axe. This one was used. You can see in one or two pictures the scrapes along the bit where it appears the stone hit bone. This is covered in blood. There is a red hue all over this axe. It's green granite/serpentine so there isn't any natural red in this stone.

Shield

[Richard Ray]

From a dig in Central America, the battle axe is one of the largest we ever found, over 10 inches long, the matate is the only square form one ever discovered, most are round, like the second one. or in peices like the next one. Once I found 13 steltes in one hole..

[ShieldJaguar]

Awesome! You have to wonder how in the world they lugged around axes that long and that heavy. One swing of that axe and I'd die of fatigue... lol.

Really nice artifacts! I love seeing mesoamerican artifacts!


Shield