mesoamerica bloodletting obsidian blades

#MESOAMERICA BLOODLETTING OBSIDIAN BLADES HOW TO#

Newer and tentative additions to the Guatemalan source area are Jalapa and Sansare. Guatemala Obsidian originating from Guatemala was widely used in Mesoamerica and is found as far north as the Yucatn Peninsula, moving via a well-developed long-distance trade network that inter-connected much of the Maya area. Obsidian is used for ornamental purposes and as a gemstone. Obsidian may have an iridescent sheen caused by inclusions. It is usually an opaque black or grey but may be yellow, red, greenish brown. Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass. See the color Because pure obsidian is usually dark, on rare occasions it may also be almost white. Obsidian is a frozen liquid that contains small amounts of mineral impurities. It has a distinctive appearance of smooth glass.

#MESOAMERICA BLOODLETTING OBSIDIAN BLADES HOW TO#

How to tell if obsidian is real?Įxamine the obsidian’s general presence. In ancient Mexican culture, Obsidian was called Itzli, which literally means the God of Stone. The Mayan prophets used polished Obsidian as mirrors for scrying purposes their way of prophesizing the future. Given its sharpness, the stone is considered to pierce into darkness to reveal the truth itself. What was the obsidian stone for the Mayan culture? The volcanic glass stone was used in trading by Mayan merchants, dating as far back as 100 years BC. … Obsidian is an igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling and hardening of the volcanic lava.

What is obsidian Mayan?Ĭentral to Mayan technology was the profound use of a special stone, known as Obsidian. Some obsidian blades from Actun Uayazba Kab were used for bloodletting.

Technological and use-wear analyses of obsidian blades from Actun Uayazba Kab, Belize.

Caves are locations for the performance of ancient Maya ritual. The ancient Maya used obsidian blades for bloodletting rituals.

Mesoamerica bloodletting obsidian blades