Exploitation of Motagua Valley jade

What it is

The Motagua fault is the only known source of gem-quality jadeite in Mesoamerica: Olmec and Maya masks, necklaces and offerings were carved from it, the most prized material of the region. Its long-distance circulation shows exchange networks between Guatemala and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Motagua sources were rediscovered by geologists in the 1950s and linked to Olmec and Maya jade through geochemical analysis (for instance Seitz and colleagues, 2001). It is debated whether all Olmec jade comes from the Motagua or from other sources (Guerrero, Costa Rica) and since when it was heavily exploited.

What it led to

• a luxury industry of masks, ornaments and offerings across Mesoamerica
• prestige-goods trade networks linking the Motagua, the Gulf Coast and the Maya lowlands
• geochemical studies of jade as a tool for tracing exchange routes

Links

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motagua_Fault