Earlier this week, we found a bifacially worked OBSIDIAN Perdiz arrow point! This is one of the few diagnostic artifacts we have discovered in the Big Bend that was manufactured from obsidian. We know Perdiz arrow points date to AD 1250 through the 1700s.
Each obsidian source in North America has a unique chemical composition or “fingerprint” that allows us to trace these artifacts back to the original geologic formation from which they were made. This arrow point was manufactured from obsidian that sources to Lago Barreal in Chihuahua State, Mexico, approximately 150 miles from where we recovered the finished artifact! Sourcing diagnostic artifacts, like this arrow point, will enable us to understand Indigenous groups’ trade and travel patterns in Big Bend as far back as AD 1250.