Turquoise

Turquoise is a rare blue-to-green mineral used in crafting many items, such as jewelry and ornaments. It was widely used in both Aztec^[1] and Maya^[2] cultures.

The Sinai Peninsula was a historical source of this stone, for which reason it was also known as "The Land of Turquoise".^[3]

History[edit | edit source]

In the 1st century BCE, the Romans occupied the Sinai and enslaved much of its population, forcing them to mine for turquoise at several quarries, such as the one in Klysma, which was overseen by the Order of the Ancients member Tacito.^[3] In 38 BCE, Tacito was assassinated by the Hidden One Bayek, who alongside Tahira organized a rebellion at the quarry to liberate its workers from Roman oppression, ending the mining of turquoise.^[4]

Among the many treasures collected by the pirate Alonzo Batilla in the early 18th century were a number of items made with turquoise; namely, two masks of the Aztec gods Quetzalcoatl and Xiuhtecuhtli, a snuff bottle fashioned to look like a fish, and a pair of snuff bottles with turquoise beadings.^[1]

In the 19th century, the British Assassins Evie and Jacob Frye used a cane-sword with a turquoise handle inspired by Maya art, the aptly named Runic Mayan Cane-sword.^[2]