16/04/2019
Forests of Jade Mesoamerica, 1200 BC–AD 900
Mesoamerican rulers valued jade and other greenstones above all other luxury materials. Jade’s green color and shiny polish evoked agricultural fertility, particularly young sprouts of maize, the region’s staple crop. In the first millennium BC, the hashtag Olmecs buried large quantities of the greenstone as offerings in the sacred space of their monumental centers. Claiming divine status, later Maya kings and queens adorned their bodies with prized materials including hashtag Jade jewels. The splendor of Maya jade regalia is captured not only by the ornaments but also in their depictions on carved stone monuments, in mural paintings, and on painted pottery. These images bring the ancient courts to life, providing vivid records of nobles who wore elaborate costumes of jade and other materials such as feather, shell, bone, and textiles. hashtag Maya rulers received goods as a tribute and gave them to their peers as part of diplomatic strategies. Ultimately, the most prized possessions were interred with their owners as funerary offerings.
Mesoamerican rulers valued jade and other greenstones above all other luxury materials. Jade’s green color and shiny polish evoked agricultural fertility, particularly young sprouts of maize, the region’s staple crop. In the first millennium BC, the hashtag Olmecs buried large quantities of the ...
