The obsidian mines at Pico de Orizaba, Veracruz, are important to the study of Mexico's prehistory for at least four reasons: 1) they are some of the best-preserved pre-Hispanic mines in the New World, never having been damaged by looters; 2) due to the unlooted nature of these mines, they provide a highly detailed record of ancient technology in Mexico; 3) they are among the few pre-Hispanic obsidian quarries which can be at least partially dated with considerable confidence; 4) on the basis of results from trace-element analyses, it is very likely that obsidian from the general area of the Pico de Orizaba mines was exploited and traded by Mexico's ancient peoples for thousands of years.