Table of Contents
What is so special about obsidian?
obsidian, igneous rock occurring as a natural glass formed by the rapid cooling of viscous lava from volcanoes. Obsidian is extremely rich in silica (about 65 to 80 percent), is low in water, and has a chemical composition similar to rhyolite. Obsidian has a glassy lustre and is slightly harder than window glass.
What god is associated with obsidian?
Tezcatlipoca Tezcatlipoca Parents Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl (Codex Zumarraga) Siblings Quetzalcoatl, Xipe-Totec, Huitzilopochtli (Codex Zumarraga) Children None.
What does Tlaloc mean?
Tlaloc, (Nahuatl: “He Who Makes Things Sprout”) Aztec rain god. Representations of a rain god wearing a peculiar mask, with large round eyes and long fangs, date at least to the Teotihuacán culture of the highlands (3rd to 8th century ad).
What did the Mayans use obsidian for?
The ancient Maya used obsidian blades for bloodletting rituals. Caves are locations for the performance of ancient Maya ritual. Technological and use-wear analyses of obsidian blades from Actun Uayazba Kab, Belize. Some obsidian blades from Actun Uayazba Kab were used for bloodletting.
What is obsidian mirror?
The obsidian mirror was the primary accessory of the supreme Aztec deity Tezcatlipoca, whose name means “smoking mirror.” He is often depicted with an obsidian mirror on his chest, in his headdress, or replacing his right foot.
Where is the obsidian mirror?
Obsidian Mirror | Aztec and Spanish | The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Is obsidian a strong material?
Strong almost beyond compare and able to stand huge blasts, glossy, black obsidian is forged in the very fires of the earth. That’s because obsidian is glass, and rather than being super tough, it’s brittle, shattering easily. But this lends obsidian its greatest strength, something early humans knew all about.
Where do I get fire obsidian?
The volcanic highland hosting the fire obsidian is located in southeast Oregon and is an extinct rhyolite dome complex that encompasses approximately 90 km2 at altitudes of 1,400 to 1,950 m (Walker and MacLeod, 1991).
Who are Xochiquetzal parents?
Xōchiquetzal Xochiquetzal Parents Xochitlicue (Codex Ramírez) Siblings Xochipilli Consort • Tlaloc (Codex Ríos) • Tezcatlipoca (Codex Ríos) • Piltzintecuhtli (Codex Zumarraga) • Cinteotl (Codex Le Tellier) • Xiuhtecuhtli (Codex Florentine) Children With Piltzintecuhtli: Cinteotl (Codex Zumarraga).
What is mirror gazing?
What is mirror gazing? To mirror gaze, you use a mirror to make eye contact with your own reflection instead of closing your eyes and turning your attention inward. Perhaps you harbor mixed feelings toward yourself or your reflection and consider the mirror your own personal antagonist.
How is volcanic glass formed?
Volcanic glass, also named as obsidian, is formed when the magma cools suddenly. This fact difficults the formation of an ordered structure, leading to an amorphous structure denoted as “ mineraloid ” [1].
Where is obsidian found in Europe?
Carpathian 2a and 2b type obsidians are both found at the re-deposited source of Erdöbénye. Carpathian obsidian was used most widely in Hungary, Slovakia and Romania, and also reached south to the Danube in Yugoslavia, west to Moravia, Austria and to the Adriatic near Trieste, and north to Poland.
What is volcanic rock called?
Volcanic rock (also called extrusive rock) is one type of magmatic rock (igneous rocks) and is the condensated product of extrusive magma after diagenesis and compaction, which differ greatly from sedimentary rocks in forming conditions, environments, and distribution.
Why did Aztecs use obsidian?
Aztec swords were made with rows of small obsidian teeth. They were murderous weapons for cutting an enemy. Now we find that being cut with obsidian is less painful than you’d think, because it makes such a sharp edge. So obsidian became woven into Aztec worship as well as Aztec function.
Where can obsidian be found in the US?
Obsidian is restricted to volcanic regions, and in the United States, obsidian outcrops are widely distributed in the Mountain West, Southwest, California, Oregon, and Washington State.
How did the Mayans cut stone?
Maya stelae were worked with stone chisels and probably with wooden mallets. Hammerstones were fashioned from flint and basalt and were used for shaping the softer rocks used to make stelae, while fine detail was completed with smaller chisels.
Why is obsidian shiny?
That’s because obsidian is volcanic glass. It forms when volcanic lava cools so quickly, there’s no time for crystals to grow. This gives the rock a black, smooth, glossy shine.
What does basalt look like?
Basalt is usually dark grey to black in colour, due to its high content of augite or other dark-coloured pyroxene minerals, but can exhibit a wide range of shading. Some basalts are quite light-coloured due to a high content of plagioclase, and these are sometimes described as leucobasalts.
How sharp can obsidian get?
Cutting edge Obsidian – a type of volcanic glass – can produce cutting edges many times finer than even the best steel scalpels. At 30 angstroms – a unit of measurement equal to one hundred millionth of a centimeter – an obsidian scalpel can rival diamond in the fineness of its edge.
Is obsidian magnetic?
The magnetic properties of obsidian have been recognized by geologists for some time and the causes subject to investigation (e.g., Schlinger et al., 1986). Basic glasses are reported to be more magnetic than acid glasses (George, 1924:370).
What is the story behind Apache tears?
Culture. The name “Apache tear” comes from a legend of the Apache tribe: about 75 Apaches and the US Cavalry fought on a mountain overlooking what is now Superior, Arizona, in the 1870s. Facing defeat, the outnumbered Apache warriors rode their horses off the mountain to their deaths rather than be killed.
Why is obsidian called obsidian?
Obsidian is an “extrusive” rock, which means it is made from magma that erupted out of a volcano. If it was an igneous rock that formed from magma underground and did not erupt, it would have been called an “intrusive” rock. Obsidian: That’s right. I erupted from the Medicine Lake Volcano in northeast California.
Why is obsidian important?
Obsidian played an important role in the transmission of Neolithic knowledge and experiences. The material was mainly used for production of chipped tools which were very sharp due to its nature. Artifacts made of obsidian can be found in many Neolithic cultures across Europe.
