Turquoise Mosaics of Ancient Mexico: The Museum-Held Pieces Recorded in 1915
The turquoise mosaics of ancient Mexico survive today mainly as museum-held objects, most of them taken to Europe during and after the Spanish conquest. In 1915 the geologist Joseph E. Pogue catalogued the examples then known. This article presents his record in his words, with page numbers. Where he describes his own time, he means 1915.
How many survive, and where they are
As of 1915, Pogue counted:
“Only 24 examples from Mexico and Central America are now known. As a result of a peculiar coincidence of circumstances, 23 of these are to be found in European museums, most of this number having reached the continent during Spanish occupancy of the region in question.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 93 [1]
Writing in 1915, Pogue placed the craft's peak in Mexico:
“This form of art reached its highest development in ancient Mexico (including Central America), although excellent examples are known from ruins in the southwestern portion of the United States”
— Pogue (1915), p. 93 [1]
On materials, Pogue (1915) wrote:
“The materials usually employed were turquois, jadeite, malachite, quartz, beryl, garnet, obsidian, pyrite, gold, and varicolored shell, cemented to a base of wood, bone, or stone by means of a tenacious vegetal pitch of local origin.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 93 [1]
How they reached Europe
According to Pogue (1915, p. 90), the first European to meet New World turquoise was probably Juan de Grijalva, who in 1518 bartered in Yucatan for three gilded wooden masks covered with turquoise mosaic. [1]
On a two-headed jaguar in Berlin, Pogue noted in 1915:
“It came to the museum through the estate of Alexander von Humboldt, who must have procured it during his journey in Mexico, though he left no note concerning its acquisition.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 95 [1]
Tribute and mines
Pogue (1915, p. 92), citing Clavigero, recorded turquoise among the tribute paid under Moctezuma: ten small measures of fine turquoise and one load of ordinary turquoise. [1]
Pogue (1915) quoted Sahagun on the source of the stone:
“The turquois occurs in mines. There are some mines whence more or less fine ones are obtained.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 92 [1]
One mask in detail
Of one British Museum mask, Pogue (1915) wrote that it
“is a mask of cedar cut to fit the face; its surface is covered with a beautiful mosaic of accurately fitted, polished slabs of turquois, mostly of a brilliant-blue.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 94 [1]
What they were for, according to the record
On their purpose, Pogue (1915) concluded:
“The mosaics were not ordinary ornaments. They had a symbolical meaning and were apparently confined to ceremonial application.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 96 [1]
Where the turquoise came from
On the turquoise's origin, Pogue wrote in 1915:
“It is almost certain, however, that part of it at least was obtained through trade from the Cerrillos locality in New Mexico, which was extensively exploited in pre-Spanish time.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 96 [1]
Later research has revisited this. Chambless & Ryan report that isotope studies have supported the long-suspected turquoise trade between Mesoamerica and the American Southwest, and have traced turquoise found at Pueblo Bonito to Cerrillos and to deposits in present-day California, Colorado, Nevada and Arizona.[2]
Keep reading: Cerrillos turquoise · tracing the turquoise road · the written history of turquoise
How this article is sourced. We strive for accuracy: every historical statement above is quoted from the printed work listed below, with page numbers, and we update it with new information as we read more of our library. See something we should correct? Contact us.
Sources
- Pogue, Joseph E. The Turquois: A Study of Its History, Mineralogy, Geology, Ethnology, Archaeology, Mythology, Folklore, and Technology. Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. XII, Part II, Third Memoir. Washington, 1915. Public domain. Cited by printed page. Anything present-tense in this book is 1915-present.
- Chambless, Philip, and Mike Ryan II. Turquoise in America, Part One: The Great American Turquoise Rush 1890–1910. Dallas Press LLC. Printed p. 29 (paraphrased).