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Both tinted glass and obsidian are amorphous solids, made primarily out of silicon dioxide, and colored by metals or metallic compounds. Obsidian is distingui
by speedybird 5y ago
Both tinted glass and obsidian are amorphous solids, made primarily out of silicon dioxide, and colored by metals or metallic compounds. Obsidian is distinguished by being volcanic in origin, but otherwise it's the same stuff.
- mymythisisthis 5y agoSo how does this 'magic mirror' work if it's just tinted glass? The world doesn't look much different if you wear sunglasses.
- speedybird 5y agoI'm not sure, but I believe they're just flat enough that you can sort-of-see your reflection on them. I don't think they're silvered like a modern mirror would be.
- akomtu 5y agoWhy does everyone think it's a mirror? It looks like a frying pan to me.
- speedybird 5y agoPhysically I don't think they would function well as frying pans; they don't have raised lips, the 'handles' are too short, and I suspect they might crack from thermal expansion if you actually tried to cook with one. Some of them were embedded in statues or otherwise ornamented in a way that seems to preclude such practical use. Furthermore not all of the mirrors were obsidian, some were made of gold, pyrite, or water. Besides that, there are apparently written records and native lore from Mesoamerican cultures that them as mirrors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirrors_in_Mesoamerican_culture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirrors_in_Mesoamerican_cultur...
- akomtu 5y agoJust a mirror with so involved ornament on it? And the ornament clearly has occult nature: it's not just random artistic drawing. I doubt it's literally a frying pan, but it looks very suitable for certain unholy rituals that the late Aztec empire was famous for.