Cont:
That said, there wasn't NO metal tools: Domestic ones such as fishhooks, knives, tweezers, adzes/celts (I think, these may have just been ceremonial) , as well as Axe Monies for currency were were made of copper and bronze. There's some reports of copper/bronze arrowheads and axe-heads, but people who know more then me say these aren't supported, and that the axheads are misunderstood from the above celts/axe monies. It does come up enough that I wonder, though
Anyways: if they used it for some tools, why not the jump to widespread use and weapons, besides the religious issue (since they did use some tools?)
Well, even the Spanish mostly abandoned their steel armor for native armor due to the climate, so obviously that would have an effect on it's development here, with the heat + humidity. Plus, armor would have taken a lot of metal per armor piece to make, making it even less likely to be experimented with, especially in the climate, as I mentioned. And without anybody using metal armor, there's not really a reason to make metal weapons: Obsidian is actually SHARPER then metal, it's only more brittle, which is only an issue against metal. I also have a personal theory, no clue if researchers would agree, that is that since the lack of beasts of burden meant so all supplies on military campaigns needed to be carried by hand. Lighter, easier to repair and replace materials like obsidian and wood would have been preferable
So the religious value, the climate, lack of horses, and then the chicken and the issue of not needing metal weapons without metal armor makes a postive feedback loop
Overall, I guess calling the region "Chalcolithic", like the fertile crescent was it was transitioning into the bronze isn't really inaccurate, though it's somewhat misleading since the two regions wrre fundemtnally using metals for different reasons and, as you'll see, mesoamerica was at, or well beyond bronze age level in other ways
4/?
Attached: mesoamerica copper metal tools bronze.jpg (569x650, 70K)
