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Green and Golden Obsidian of “Cerro de Las Navajas”, Hidalgo (Mexico): Geoarchaeological Heritage That Deserves International Recognition

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Abstract

The Cerro de Las Navajas Obsidian is a volcanic rock within the Comarca Minera UNESCO Global Geopark (Hidalgo, Mexico) that possesses outstanding archaeological, cultural and geological value. It exhibits a unique green-golden macroscopic hue and was exploited and traded since ca. 250 BC, by successive Mesoamerican cultures, and until early Colonial times—ultimately recording the transition to a steel-based society. The obsidian deposit is the largest of its kind (buried) and has the longest continuous history of mining in the continent. Other green obsidians have been studied in Patagonia (Seno Otway, Chile), source for hunter-gatherers, and in Anatolia (Bingöl, Turkey), source for the Neolithic Near East. We argue here the potential of the Cerro de Las Navajas Obsidian for a heritage designation to highlight its global significance; synergies derived from an international recognition may give the opportunity to (a) put in value the multi-dimensional geoheritage of this obsidian; (b) strengthen the sense of belonging among local community; (c) require authorities to regulate obsidian mining and commercialisation, under fair trade terms, and compatible with conservation, research and responsible tourism; (d) support further research on archaeology and cultural heritage, linking geosciences with other disciplines; and (e) contribute to UNESCO Global Geoparks programme, seeking local development and sustainability. These expected achievements would be relevant given the lack of legal advisory role of geoparks in geoheritage management in Mexico.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to give special thanks to Benjamin Van Wyk de Vries and Barry Cooper for reading and commenting on earlier versions of the manuscript. Sincere thanks also go to Alberto Ken Oyama Nakagawa, Secretary of Institutional Development, UNAM, and William Henry Lee Alardín, Coordinator of Scientific Research, UNAM, and to José Alonso Huerta Cruz, of the Consejo de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación de Hidalgo (CITNOVA), for the invaluable support for research activities in the Comarca Minera UGG. Denise Gorfinkiel, of the Regional Bureau for Sciences in Latin America and the Caribbean, UNESCO, is thanked for her support to geoconservation initiatives as well as Dorian Rommens of the UNESCO Representative Office for Mexico. Aldo Domínguez is thanked for redrawing the pre-Columbian glyphs and Juli Pujade Villar for reviewing botanical nomenclature. The authors would also like to express gratitude to Joseph Madondo for a final revision on the manuscript and to Andrés Edmundo Ramírez Ortíz, local guide of CLN, as well as to ejido Nopalillo and the Municipality of Epazoyucan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Posgrado en Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico

    Miguel A. Cruz-Pérez & Míriam V. Núñez-Velázquez

  2. Instituto de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y Cambio Climático, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico

    Miguel A. Cruz-Pérez, Carles Canet, Erika Salgado-Martínez & Telma G. Castro-Romero

  3. Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico

    Carles Canet, Raymundo G. Martínez-Serrano, Sara I. Franco & Juan Carlos Mora-Chaparro

  4. Dirección de Estudios Arqueológicos, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Lic. Verdad No. 3, Colonia Centro, 06060, Mexico City, Mexico

    Alejandro Pastrana & Silvia Domínguez-Peláez

  5. Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico

    Lucero Morelos-Rodríguez

  6. Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, C/Ríos Rosas 23, 28003, Madrid, Spain

    Luis Carcavilla

  7. Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico

    Peter Krieger

  8. Universidad La Salle Pachuca, Belisario Domínguez 202, Centro, 42000, Pachuca de Soto, Hidalgo, Mexico

    Eduardo J. García-Alonso

  9. Facultat de Geologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Maite Garcia-Vallès

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  1. Miguel A. Cruz-Pérez
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Correspondence to Miguel A. Cruz-Pérez.

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Cruz-Pérez, M.A., Canet, C., Pastrana, A. et al. Green and Golden Obsidian of “Cerro de Las Navajas”, Hidalgo (Mexico): Geoarchaeological Heritage That Deserves International Recognition. Geoheritage 13, 92 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-021-00610-7

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