Olmec concave iron-ore mirrors
Espejos cóncavos de magnetita e ilmenita
- Date
- c. 1000 BCE · confidence medium
- Place
- La Venta, Huimanguillo, Tabasco, Mexico
- Credited to
- Olmec culture
- Field
- Communication
What it is
Iron-ore mirrors polished with an almost perfect parabolic curve, able to project images and concentrate sunlight to light fires. They show exceptional control of optics and abrasion.
Studied by Carlson and Heizer (1968); their use for lighting fires is possible but undocumented.
What it led to
- a symbol of authority in Mesoamerica
- Maya and Mexica pyrite and obsidian mirrors