The social and ritual significance of obsidian in particular prehispanic Andean contexts appears to have varied across time and space, and with further research in the region into evidence of production and consumption these differences will be better understood. Archaeologists have established that the visual attributes of particular materials like metal were important in the late Prehispanic Andes. If this mode of interpretation may be extended, high quality obsidian shares some visual characteristics with metal such as shininess and an appearance of material purity. Furthermore, obsidian from particular areas was often visually distinct and this may have conveyed information in regions such as Moquegua where a variety of obsidian types have been encountered. Obsidian was irregularly available across the landscape, and the mere possession of this highly visible material in obsidian-poor regions had possible social significance because it suggested that the holder participated in long distance exchange networks or had alliances with groups in obsidian-rich areas.