This is a bit like the Hatfields and the McCoys folks… exceptin’ no
one’s fightin’ ‘n feudin’ over ownership of a pig. It’s just in the
name pattern that the similarities begin and end. The Hatfields and
the McCoys. The Mixtecs and the Toltecs. Rather rhythmic. dontcha
think? And with that we leave the Hatfields and the McCoys to go on
with their scratchin’ ‘n gougin’ an’ bite’n off their ears.
And we now segue so smoothly as to be the envy of the deadly cobra as
she slithers along her winding path while all the while we travel
back to some tine around 1500CE. I know I don’t have my dates exactly
on target. so bear with me in these small peccadilloes as I tell you
a tale of ancient master jewelers. It was the beginning of the Mixtec
and Toltec civilizations. A power vacuum had created opportunity.
And so. in the Oaxaca Valley the Mixtecs rose to prominence. And to
the northwest. the Toltecs became the pre-emminent group. But it is
the Mixtecs who will not only occupy the Oaxaca Valley. but also the
pages of time-worn wood-sourced parchment known as paper upon which
are inscribed the words of the Tidbits wizard. The Mixtecs… masters
of craftsmanship. sublings to the Aztecs. were jewelry artisans of
the first order. excelling as A-number one metalsmiths with
unparalleled reputations as workers in turquoise and gold. They
traveled the land over hill and dale as they hit the dusty trail…
Whoa. How did I get to WWII? Back up there laddie.
Still. It’s one thing to say they were great artisans. it’s another
if you’re from the show-me land of doubters. I have a disc. It looks
like hammered gold surrounded along the periphery with two rows of
turquoise mosaic and a center of turquoise mosaic.
I am not one hundred percent sure about the mosaic part because none
of my sources mention the word while I–on the other hand–see
nothing but. I know my readers are–in areas of selective
knowledge–far more educated than I. And so I therefore ask if anyone
out there knows for sure if the turquoise are laid out in a mosaic
pattern or are they just cut to look that way.
As in many things in life. hopes and wishes are not always fulfilled
to their desired extent. So is it with today’s Tidbits. It’s less
extensive than is usual. So it goes sometimes. And as less is often
more. perhaps this issue is the same. Enjoy its brevity. I shall now
take my leave.
As to the rest. you know where. You know what. Yes? No? The visit to
the image. also known as the viewing experience. You know how to get
there. Home page. http://www.tyler-adam.com. Scroll down. Left side.
[Tidbits]. Click. And there for your sensory optic pleasure you will
see a Mixtec gold and turquoise disc made with expertise which belies
the era of its creation.
And there ya have it. That’s it for this week folks. Catch you all
next week.
Benjamin Mark