Its sides are embedded with prismatic blades traditionally made from obsidian, famous for producing an edge far sharper than even high quality steel razor blades.
12.
The analysis of obsidian debitage can reveal whether or not prismatic blade production occurred at a site and, if it had, what stages of production the process included.
13.
Typically, the material s visual depiction in artwork is generally associated with autosacrifice and other types of sacrifice, including images of prismatic blades with bloody hearts on the blade s ends.
14.
In El Ba�l Cotzumalguapa, in the Pacific Lowlands, large workshops have been documented, the production of artifacts was aimed at manufacturing two major products : prismatic blades and projectile points.
15.
Associated offerings included an inverted ceramic vessel, a flint projectile point, a grey obsidian prismatic blade, a shell disk, two perforated ceramic disks and various other pieces of worked flint.
16.
The ventral surface of the prismatic blade is very smooth, sometimes bearing slight rippling reflecting the direction of applied force and a very small bulb of applied force ( indicative of pressure reduction ).
17.
The act was typically performed with obsidian prismatic blades or stingray spines, and blood was drawn from piercing or cutting the tongue, earlobes, and / or genitals ( among other locations ).
