Notes on Obsidian Sources of the Southern Sierra Madre Occidental

Abstract

Abstract Recent fieldwork has identified a previously unknown obsidian source area in southern Zacatecas and northern Jalisco. Evidence of prehistoric use of surface gravel and nodule outcrops in the Huitzila-La Lobera source area includes raw-material extraction and the production of cores, large blade blanks, rough bifaces, and other artifacts. Unusual variability in color is characteristic of the sources and includes a banded variety described as “rainbow” obsidian. Characteristics of this source area are compared to the Llano Grande obsidian source area in Durango. Implications for understanding the distribution of obsidian from sources in the Sierra Madre Occidental to the cultures of the north Mesoamerican frontier are presented and discussed.