"Moon defends himself with a spear tipped with a head carved of the soft wood of the bottletree, which breaks apart at the first impact. He also has a club made of the same wood which is too light to cause any harm. The Jaguar tears at his body, pieces of which fall on the earth. These are the meteors, which three times have caused a world fire." ~ Oral myth of Toba cosmology as recorded by Alfred Métraux, 1946.

Thousands of years ago, a massive metal meteorite broke up over the skies of northern Argentina and rocketed to the ground. The impact was witnessed by local indigenous groups, many of whom lost their lives in the forest fires that followed. The story was recorded in their oral histories as a cosmic event, a tale that described the power of the stars.

This specimen is a complete Campo Del Cielo meteorite from Argentina. The IAB meteorite is thought to have fallen in 2500 BCE and was a source of valuable metals as well as an inspiration for creation myths. The impact area was originally called Piguem Nonralta by the locals, though Spanish colonists renamed it in 1576 CE as Campo del Cielo, or, "Field of Heaven."

Please note: Some meteorites may have metal pieces which appear loose to the touch. This is normal and occurs due to the fragmented nature of an airburst impact.