How an Obsidian Blade Rewrites the Trail of Conquistadors
A small obsidian artifact found in the Texas Panhandle provides compelling evidence of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado’s expedition across the area over 470 years ago. (Artist’s concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.comCould a family’s obsidian blade be a clue to the expedition’s trail?It’s a small piece of obsidian, just over 5 centimeters long, likely found on a hard-scrabble piece of ranchland in the Texas panhandle. But when SMU anthropologist Matthew Boulanger looks at it, he gets a mental image of Spanish explorer Francisco…