Since most ancient cultures treasured art objects based on the amount of labour they required, it is understandable that the labour-intensive nature of jade jewelry made it one of the most valued items in tMayan society. Given its toughness, artists had to spend a lot of time in trimming down raw jade stones and turning them into pieces of jewelry. It is possible that Mayans valued jade jewelry so much because of the sheer amount of labour that had to be expended in making it. This particular form of jade is incredibly hard and is very difficult to work on. The specific type of jade found in the Mayan lands was Jadeite. This included ear plugs, bracelets, rings and headdresses made of jade. Consequently, Mayans produced many different types of jewelry using jade as the main component. To Mayans, jade was related to the deities and the notion of eternity. Jade was treasured not only because it was a precious stone but also because Mayans associated a lot of religious significance to it. One of the most common, and sought after, materials of jewelry in the Mayan society was jade. Jade was also exported by Mayans to other non- Mayan cities as a valuable part of trade. After the discovery of jade, it became the most highly valued material used in making jewelry. Mayans also discovered many other items such as jade and obsidian. These became the key ingredients of Mayan jewelry following their discovery.
Mayan Jewelry in Later PeriodsĪs Mayan civilisation developed and prospered, it was able to discover metals such as gold, silver and copper in the areas surrounding Mayan settlements. Others items commonly used were claws, shells, even well-crafted stones and feathers. Since jaguars carried a lot of significance in Mayan mythology, jaguar teeth were one of the most preferred items for making jewelry during this period. So during this period, Mayans mostly made jewelry from items that they obtained from animals, such as their teeth and bone. Jewelry in the Early Periodĭuring the early period of the Mayan civilisation, Mayans didn’t have access to precious metals such as gold or to precious materials such as jade. The use of jewelry was limited to the Mayan nobility while the commoners were forbidden from using it.
Mayans wore jewelry in the plugs they wore in lip and ear piercings, as well as to adorn their hair. So jewelry in the later period of the Mayan civilisation comprises of a vast range of mediums, including gold, jade, obsidian, bronze and silver. Later, Mayans discovered not only metals such as gold and silver, they also found precious stones in the region they inhabited. During the early phase of Mayan civilisation, Mayans didn’t have access to metals, so they made intricate and beautiful forms of jewellery out of the teeth and other bones of animals.
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