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Bandelier National Monument
Fibrolite Axes
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| Photo by Sally King | | Fibrolite axe heads are made of a type of fibrolite found only near Truchas Peak. |
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Fibrolite is related to such minerals as sillimanite, kyanite, and muscovite. It is composed of highly metamorphosed shale, which started out as clays with quartz, calcite, feldspar, and other components.
Fibrolite axes are made from a type of fibrolite found only in an area near Truchas Peaks. Not only is the stone itself distinctive, but the form into which it has been ground is also instantly recognizable. Most noticeable is the sharp blade and the spiral groove where the handle is attached.
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| Photo by Sally King | | Due to limited availability of fibrolite, the location of fibrolite axes may tell much about Ancestral Pueblo trade networks. |
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Because the fibrolite is found only in one place, axes made from it provide information about early trade networks. Starting in the area around the Truchas Peaks, fibrolite axes were apparently traded to such widespread locations as Frijoles Canyon in Bandelier, San Lazaro Pueblo in the Galisteo Basin, San Ildefonso and other pueblos along the Rio Grande, and the Hopi villages in Arizona.
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| Photo by Sally King |
| Fibrolite axes are distinctive in design with a sharp blade and a spiral groove where the handle is attached. |
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Did You Know?
The Valles Caldera is the collapsed summit of the Jemez Volcano which erupted over 1 million years ago. Ash from this volcano formed the volcanic tuff from which the Ancestral Pueblo people built their homes.
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Last Updated: January 16, 2008 at 12:37 EST |
