Obsidian
is an igneous rock, also known as volcanic glass, that possesses unique molecular characteristics. It is produced during volcanic eruptions of great geological magnitude.
This crystal materializes at the moment when atmospheric friction reacts with the chemical components of an incandescent stone. For this reason, it is the only crystal on Earth that has proven impossible to classify and industrialize.
In Mesoamerica, it was used as a precious material because its reflection could reveal the future, the present, and the past. These characteristics made it the most valuable stone in the Indigenous Mesoamerican worldview.
The mystical qualities of obsidian were linked to the deity Tezcatlipoca (Smoking Mirror). The stone could only be used by individuals who held a high spiritual rank in determining the destiny of the Mesoamerican people.
During the conquest (1519–1559), this stone was expropriated by the Spanish and later stolen by an English ship. Among the looted cargo was a valuable obsidian mirror that ended up in the possession of the English mathematician, astrologer, cartographer, and philosopher John Dee (1527–1608), who advised Queen Elizabeth I.
John Dee used the obsidian mirror to help establish England’s power during the consolidation of the “British Empire” (1577–1590).
His deep interest in this material led him to produce mystical tools from the magmatic stone that would open the doors to the realm of occult powers. Some of these artifacts, including the obsidian mirror, are currently kept in the British Museum; others are lost or hidden in private collections.
The series of works titled The Conquest of Obsidian are reproductions of some of the mystical tools that John Dee produced and used for the benefit of England’s growth, whose whereabouts are now unknown.
The use and presence of this volcanic crystal in the European continent offers a new reading of the political and territorial development of the Old World, which was shaped by the qualities of a Mesoamerican stone.
The pieces
“The Future” — Obsidian glasses.
These lenses, made from volcanic glass, allowed, for the first time in history, the possibility of seeing through a stone. The person wearing them could see, through them, omens of the time to come.
“Double Edge” — Obsidian knife.
The double-edged knife was used to retain all the spiritual qualities of the being stabbed at one end, which could then be transferred, through the obsidian, to whoever was pierced at the other end.