GUATEMALAN JADE

THE SACRED MAYA STONE BECOMES A MODERN GEMSTONE

- HELEN SERRAS-HERMAN

Jade from Guatemala is a rare gem material that comes in many different colors. Jade was prevalent in the ancient Mesoamerican cultures, and the currently mined material was re-discovered less than 50 years ago. Tourists visiting Guatemala today have the opportunity to visit museums and admire the ancient treasures, and then go to shops that sell contemporary artwork made from Guatemala jade. Here in the United States, the market is more familiar with nephrite jade from China, jadeite from Burma, or nephrite jade from Wyoming, California, and Canada. We rarely encounter jade from Guatemala as rough, slabs and jewelry, and thus it is difficult to understand and appreciate its value.

Jade was revered in the Maya world, an ancient culture that flourished in the first millennium AD in Mexico and Central America. The Maya civilization stretched geographically over what is known today as Guatemala, Belize, southern Mexico, and the western regions of Honduras and El Salvador. Great Maya city-states rose in the highlands and the jungle-covered lowlands. Metropolises, such as Tikal, Copan and Palenque, and the late-period cities of Uxmal and Chitzén Itzá in the upper Yucatán Peninsula, had royal courts, temple-pyramids, and enormous populations. The Mayas were passionate about architecture, astronomy, mathematics, and the arts.