A01
2025.3.21
Classification and Clarification of the value of stone materials in Mesoamerica
Yuta Chiba (Okayama University)
Humans have used various types of stone materials for many purposes up to the present day. The choice of how stone materials are manipulated is based on the value that is found in the characteristics of the raw materials (such as volcanic stone andesite, and obsidian). Mesoamerica did not use metal tools until it encountered the cultures of the Old Continent in the 16th century, stones were the main source for tools. Therefore, Mesoamerican people developed a unique culture around the use of stone.
This study aims to clarify what characteristics of each stone were valued by Mesoamerican people and classify the “value” of stone, based on examples of stone use in the pre-Hispanic and the early colonial periods. The project will geographically cover from the Central Mexican site of Teotihuacan to Monte Alban in Oaxaca to the Maya in the Yucatan and its surrounding sites. Utilizing archaeometric analysis, detailed examination of historical materials, exploration and ethnological surveys in stone production areas. It also aims to deepen understanding of the dynamics of material culture and interactional relationship between stones and humans, or more broadly between objects and humans. This study explores how objects have influenced the materialization and representation of human worldviews, cosmologies, and philosophical systems.
